The Innocents' Revenge
by MajorBookworm94
Summary: The sequel to The Brotherhood. Sirius and the others fight to get Harry out of Azkaban, but if they succeed, will it be too late for Harry's sanity? AU
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter, and all characters, settings, and the plot lines affiliated with it do not belong to me.

**The Brotherhood II**

* * *

**A/N - Welcome to the sequel of The Brotherhood! I have the story most of the way plotted out, and the outline written, so I already know that there will be less chapters than the last, but those chapters will be longer, word wise, so hopefully it'll satisfy you. One thing you should know; I am going to be participating in NaNoWriMo again this year, so don't count on any updates in November. I'll try to get ahead in my writing before then, so I'll be able to post mid month or something, though. Happy reading!**

* * *

**~~~ Prologue ~~~**

Sirius stood in a room, his back leaning against the wall. He moodily observed those that were in the room with him. Leaning against the wall on his right side, was Remus. He, too, was silent, but his attention was focused on the woman on the opposite side of him. Dora stood there, her hair a bright pink colour as she chattered, almost inaudibly to Remus about something that she was clearly excited about. Sirius knew that Remus could probably only hear her clearly because of his acute hearing, gained from being a werewolf. The pairs' hands were intertwined, and if you looked close enough, you could see a ring sparkling on Dora's finger, signifying her engagement to the werewolf.

Sitting on the couch near the centre of the room, which was facing Sirius, Remus, and Dora, were Ginny, Hermione, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom. As Sirius studied them, Ginny looked up and smiled, but then turned back to her conversation with her friend when he didn't smile back. Sirius studied Luna and Neville next. They had both proclaimed that they had believed in Harry's innocence from the start, but Sirius had seen no sign of it. Only Ginny's promise that they were being truthful about their alliances allowed them to be in the room.

Standing against the wall directly across from Sirius, were Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt. They were conversing quietly and looked serious. Both looked unsure of what they were doing there.

Standing in one of the corners, shrouded by shadow was a man that Remus had brought along with him, and Sirius didn't really know much about him other than the fact that he was a werewolf and his name was Stan. All Sirius could see of the man were a pair of slightly glowing amber eyes – a sure sign that the full moon was rapidly approaching.

The last person in the room was standing near the doorway, as if to make a quick escape. To be truthful, Sirius could care less if Severus Snape left. He certainly hadn't been the one to invite him, and he didn't really see the point of him being there either. Unfortunately, he had no say in the matter. That privilege went to one man -

Dumbledore swept into the room suddenly, and the room fell completely silent in a matter of seconds. Dumbledore met everyone's eyes squarely, as if determining one last time if every single one of them should really be there. After he had silently examined them, he nodded contentedly.

"Please, let's sit," Dumbledore invited, gesturing to the other room where a long dining table was set up. Sirius straightened up and led the way, seeing as it was his house, and the others followed behind.

Dumbledore sat at the head of the table, as to be expected. He was the clear leader of the group. Sirius sat at his right side. Beside Sirius sat Ginny, then Hermione, Luna, and Neville. Remus sat across from Sirius, at Dumbledore's left side. Dora was sitting beside Remus, and then came Kingsley, Moody and Snape. Stan sat at the very end of the table.

Dumbledore started the meeting once everyone was seated.

"I have called you all here today for something should have happened a long time ago. The Ministry of Magic is out of control, and has been for too long. The proof lies in Azkaban at this moment, with Harry Potter,"

Sirius peered around and saw Kingsley shifting anxiously. He knew that the auror was quite devoted to the Ministry, and wasn't really sure why he had been invited to this meaning.

Only Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, Dora, and Ginny actually knew what the meeting was about. They were the ones who had gathered those around them.

"What is this meeting for, Albus?" Moody questioned, his magic eye focused on the older man.

Dumbledore folded his arms and dead panned, "We are planning to overthrow the government, of course."

Sirius shared an amused look with Remus. Trust Dumbledore to say it so bluntly.

There was a stiff silence in the room, as those who hadn't known about it swallowed their shock. Kingsley's mouth dropped open and he turned to Dora. "You were in on this?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "Yes,"

Remus squeezed her hand gently and smiled.

Kingsley looked over to Moody, hoping for some help, but their thoughts differed. Moody was nodding in agreement. "Good. When are we starting?"

"You agree with this?" Kingsley asked the higher ranking auror in dismay.

Moody studied him. "Yes, Shacklebolt. I do. You must have noticed that the Minister is corrupted," he explained.

"Of course. Nearly everyone has. But doesn't this make us traitors?"

"It's nothing new," Sirius drawled, leaning back lazily in his chair.

Snape, Remus, Stan, and Ginny nodded in agreement. They had all experienced being some sort of enemy to the Ministry at one point or another.

"But this is not only to overthrow the government. The main reason is to free Harry Potter. He should not have been imprisoned, either time. If the Ministry hadn't forced me out…" Dumbledore trailed off, his voice turning harsh with anger.

Sirius understood, feeling the same anger well up in him. Just before Harry's sentencing, aurors has forcefully removed Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, Dora, and several other people that they thought might support him, including Arthur Weasley. By the time they had all been able to get back in, Harry had already been shipped off to prison.

"They will regret the day they messed with Harry Potter," Dumbledore stated, his voice firm. Nobody in the room could doubt the truthfulness of that statement.

"Why do you think I would help you with this endeavour?" Kingsley asked.

Dumbledore stared at him for a moment. "I was your headmaster at Hogwarts, Kingsley. I know how your mind works, and I know you understand this injustice. You joined the aurors to fight the very sort of people who are running the Ministry today. I also happen to know that you don't believe Harry should be in Azkaban,"

"Well that may be so, but these days, everyone thinks Potter is innocent. Mostly everyone disagreed with him being sent to Azkaban. So why me?" Kingsley questioned.

"Shacklebolt! Are you going to help or not?" Moody barked, ignoring Kingsley's questions. Kingsley jumped at his sharp voice.

Seeing everyone staring at him, waiting for a decision, Kingsley hesitated, but then he nodded. "I will."

"Then put the fact that they chose you out of your mind and let's get this started. The sooner we get that boy out of prison the sooner things will start to change," Moody stated.

Dumbledore looked deeply approving. "Yes. However, the Ministry will not allow anyone to petition for his freedom. The only way would be to break him out," Dumbledore said, looking over at Sirius.

Sirius straightened, looking very much more serious than he had been before. Harry was the most important thing in his book. "It won't be easy. It took me long enough just to be able to visit him for five minutes, and accompanied by an auror, as well. Not to mention all the money…" Sirius trailed off realising that he had contributed in the corruption of the Ministry. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "To be unsupervised while visiting him, not to mention long enough to be able to free him and get him out of there, would be impossible." He looked troubled at the thought.

Kingsley looked hesitant to share, but then said, "Higher positioned aurors sometimes go to Azkaban to make sure that everything is running smoothly. I've never done it before, but I could."

"You'd be unsupervised in the prison?" Remus asked.

"I'd have another auror with me, but I could easily enough request Tonks," Kingsley said, nodding toward Dora.

"You'll have to do that as soon as possible. Dora may no always be available," Remus said abruptly.

Dora sent sharp look Remus' way. "Remus!" she hissed.

The couple gained curious looks from everyone around the table.

"Yes, schedule it right away," Dumbledore brought the attention back to the reason they were there.

"In the meantime," Dumbledore turned to where Hermione, Neville, and Luna were sitting, looking as if they really didn't think they belonged. "We need you three to start recruiting students."

"But what can students do?" Hermione asked.

"Quite a lot, actually, Miss Granger. You see, they are easily persuaded. They haven't really made any firm choices on who they support yet. We must gather them as soon as possible. Be subtle though. We don't want some people to catch word of what we are doing, just yet," Dumbledore explained.

Dumbledore then turned to Remus and Stan. "I need you two to work on the magical creatures. I know you, Stan, are quite well known among the werewolves."

Snape looked up at Dumbledore, knowing what was coming next. Sure enough, Dumbledore turned to him next. "Severus, I need you to search among the past deatheaters."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Sirius interrupted.

Dumbledore looked over. "Some of the deatheaters only joined Tom Riddle because they needed someone with power to protect them. These people are now lost, because they have lost their protection. We will gather then up and promise them a new start if they help us," he explained.

"So we're gathering the minorities, then?" Moody asked, catching onto the plan.

"If all the minorities combine, they are larger than the majority," Dora said, glancing over at Dumbledore as if checking she was right.

Dumbledore nodded in assurance.

"What will Moody and I do?" Kingsley asked.

"Gather those in the Ministry who are ready to rebel," Dumbledore said

"And what about me and Sirius?" Ginny spoke up.

Dumbledore considered them. "We need foreign help. You will go and negotiate with the foreign Ministries. I think the French may be willing," Dumbledore looked thoughtful.

"Cool, I've always wanted to travel," Ginny replied with a smile.

Sirius wasn't as happy. He had spent enough time wandering around lately. He just wanted to save Harry, then stay home and enjoy his life with his Godson.

Dumbledore looked around, and seeing that everyone had an assignment, nodded. "We will meet again in a week, if at all possible,"

* * *

**A/N - Okay, just so you know, I'm kind of looking for a different title besides 'The Brotherhood II' for this fanfic, so if you have any ideas, let me know. I may just dedicate a chapter to you or something. Anyway, review, please, and let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

**The Brotherhood II

* * *

**

**A/N - Thanks for all the title suggestions. I like several of them, and will list them at the bottom, letting a vote take place. Now, those who don't care about my personal life go ahead and skip the rest of this author's note. For the rest of you, I'm just going to say that I'm in a super mood, which is why I'm posting this chapter before I planned. You see, today I took my Driving Test and received my driver's license! Yay! I've been driving for over a year, but now I don't have to drive with my mom in the car. It'll be nice.

* * *

**

**~~~ Chapter One ~~~**

Ginny looked up at the Eiffel Tower in boredom. She was sitting in a small patch of grass near the tower. Sirius had left her here while he went to find someone who he had arranged to meet. Supposedly, he had met this person in his younger days, but had lost contact due to everything that had happened with Voldemort. Ginny hoped that his friend wasn't a woman, because she didn't think she could handle Sirius flirting with some random person at the moment. She was too depressed to have too deal with that.

Ginny mused on her situation, as she idly tugged on the grass, pulling it out by the roots. They had come to France, seeking the magical government's help with their predicament. Unfortunately, they weren't being too helpful. The only thing they had done was set up an appointment date, three weeks out. Sirius had decided to make the best of the situation and contacted this to meet up with, and hopefully gain a place to stay for a while, so they didn't have to try to get back into Britain again until everything was sorted out.

Which had led to them spending the night in a cheap muggle hotel room that looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in ages. They had checked out early in the morning and had bought a chap breakfast before visiting the Eiffel Tower to kill time while waiting for Sirius' friend to show up.

"Ginny!"

Ginny looked up as she heard Sirius' voice. He was heading across the grass toward her, and behind him was a man with a teenage girl following behind them with a disdainful look. Ginny could tell that she already wouldn't like her. She climbed to her feet and walked toward the oncoming trio.

Once they were close enough, Sirius introduced them. "Ginny, this is Ralph, and his daughter Rachelle. I believed she's about your age."

"I'm seventeen," Rachelle said in a heavy French accent.

"Oh, well. Ginny, here, is fifteen," Sirius said, then glanced at her to confirm it.

"Almost sixteen," Ginny replied, straightening to attempt to make herself look a little taller. Rachelle was at least a head taller than Ginny, and the high heels on her feet didn't help matters any.

Rachelle looked down on her in what was clearly a look of superiority. Ginny sneered back.

Sirius, either not noticing the display or ignoring it, explained further, "I met Ralph with James, Remus, and Peter just after we left Hogwarts. We did some travelling back then, James' idea, of course. It was at his expense as well. James and Ralph hit it off right away, both being quidditch fanatics."

"Indeed," Ralph said, an amused expression coming over his face, presumably at a memory of James..

Sirius also looked amused and Ginny sent him a curious look.

"Ah, look. Here's my wife," Ralph murmured, nodded his head toward a woman walking in their general direction.

The woman greeted them in French, and her husband replied in turn, then turned to Ginny and Sirius, "Ginny, this is Sofia. Sofia, this is Ginny, Sirius' friend. I believe you've already met Sirius."

Sofia studied him for a moment. "Oh yes, of course. I remember you," Sofia said with a slightly amused gaze. Ginny was startled when Sirius blushed bright red.

Frank looked between them before breaking the nearly awkward silence. "So how long will you be here in France?"

Sirius composed himself rapidly. "At least three weeks, probably more," he replied.

"That's a long time to stay in a hotel. Why don't the two of you come stay with us?" Sofia suggested.

Rachelle's expression went sour and she looked ready to protest. Ginny wasn't far from it herself, although she knew that this was what Sirius had been hoping for.

"That'd be great," Sirius accepted.

Ginny sighed. Rachelle was still leering at her unpleasantly, although she wasn't sure what she had done to bring it on. She really didn't feel like hanging around Rachelle much.

"Let's apparate back, then…oh wait, I forgot. Ginny is too young," Rachelle said, her voice obviously patronising.

Ginny glared at her, a bitter retort on the tip of her tongue. Only Sirius' hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"She can side apparate with me," Sirius suggested, glancing at Rachelle.

"Let's find an apparating point then," Frank said, then led the way to a group of nearby buildings. They found an alley hidden from muggle eyes and gathered in it.

Ginny waited while Sirius received the information he needed to be able to apparate to Ralph's home, then watched as the family apparated away. Sirius to turned to her with a sympathetic look. "I know this'll be hard, but we won't spend much time with her at all. We'll just be spending the nights at the house, and going elsewhere during the day," he said.

Ginny frowned. "Why can't we go back to your home again?"

"Because it is a pain to travel internationally, and I don't want to have to come back here in just a few weeks," Sirius answered.

"We have to go back for the meeting in a week anyway," Ginny muttered.

Sirius shook his head. "No, we really don't. We can send a letter reporting our progress, and Dumbledore, or Remus, will send one back informing us of the meeting. It wasn't an obligatory meeting."

Ginny huffed in annoyance, but then reached and took the hand Sirius offered her. She closed her eyes and waited as she felt the feeling of apparation wash over her.

Appearing in the front yard, Ginny took in the house. It wasn't that big, but was nice and secluded, in the woods.

Ralph was waiting for them. "Sirius, you can take the guest bedroom. It's up the stairs and the first door on the left. Ginny, I'm afraid you'll have to share with Rachelle," he told them, pushing open the front door.

Ginny sent Sirius a look. He got the message. She was not happy.

**~~~ TB ~~~**

Remus and Stan walked up to the gates surrounding the Werewolf Preserve. It was a familiar place for bother of them, but especially for Stan, since he had been living there since he had been turned, twenty years before. Remus had only stayed there for two months just before Harry and Sirius broke out of Azkaban the first time.

Neither of them looked pleased to be back. It was a horrible place to be forced to live, as so many werewolves were.

Walking through the gates and into the semicircle of cabins, Remus knew he was getting a lot of odd looks. He could feel the eyes of the other werewolves on him. It wasn't that he was unfamiliar to them. They all knew him. No, it was probably the newer clothes he was wearing, which Sirius had insisted on buying him. It was rare when a werewolf had new clothes, especially in the Preserve.

"Stan, welcome back," a man stepped forward. Remus knew him as Richard. He was the alpha of the pack, being the strongest of the wolves, and also the oldest. Stan happened to be the second in command, however, which is why Remus thought he was a good ally to have.

Stan removed himself from Remus' side and walked up to the alpha. They murmured to each other in low tones, low enough that even he, as a fellow werewolf, couldn't hear.. Remus shifted awkwardly and glanced around. He recognised many faces, including one female who had tried to proclaim herself as his mate. He had avoided her the last time, but it hadn't been easy. He was glad that he could use the excuse of his engagement with Dora to make her back off when he saw the look of pleasure in her eyes at the sight of him.

Stan loped over to Remus' side again. "Same arrangements as last time," Stan told him. Remus nodded in acceptance. He had barely been accepted into the pack the last time, mostly because he hadn't really needed to be there. Stan had warned him, strictly, that if he disagreed, complained openly, or cause a problem of any king, he would be forced to face Richard. Facing Richard would definitely cause a fight, since Richard already didn't like him. Challenging a pack alpha was going to end in a fight to the death.. If it came to blows between them, Remus already knew that he would lose to the bigger wolf.

Stan and Remus left the company of the rest of the pack and walked over to the cabin belonging to Stan, where he had stayed the last time as well.

"I'll speak to Richard in the morning about your plan," Stan said when the door had closed and they were in privacy. Remus nodded absently, wondering just how much it would take to get Richard to agree to Dumbledore's plot. He had thought, once he had found a home with Sirius, Dora, and Harry, that he wouldn't have to come back here ever again. To be back, locked away like an animal, didn't sit well with Remus. Not to mention that he had to spend all this time away from Dora.

Remus could only keep repeating on thing get through it: "It's all for Harry. You have to do it for Harry."

**~~~ TB ~~~**

Ginny peered sideways at Rachelle, who was sleeping on her back, her arms folded neatly over her chest, and he hair neatly spread out on the pillow above her. The other girl was asleep, thankfully.

Ginny could hear the sounds of a conversation coming from down the hall, through the open door. She heard Sirius laugh, but then quickly silent. Evidently, he was getting along fine with Ralph and Sofia.

There was just enough light coming from the hallway to illuminate her parchment as she scratched out a letter with a muggle pen. Dora, her father being muggleborn, knew quite a lot about muggle things, and in the time they had spent together, Ginny had picked up on some of those things as well. Plus, Ginny had found that muggle pens were much easier than a quill when she was trying to keep quiet.

The letter being written in the low light was to Harry. Even though she knew that he wouldn't receive it, she still wrote him at least four times a week, telling him everything that was going on. She never sent the letters, just kept them all together in a drawer. At the moment, she wondered if she would ever be able to send him a letter that he might receive and read.

Even if Harry got out of Azkaban, he had been dubbed as having a mental disorder, which meant, in simpler terms, he was insane. She didn't know if he would ever recover, or if he would have to spend the rest of his life in a hospital, taking pills to get rid of his pain.

The thought haunted her. The thought that even if she saw him again, he might not be hers.

Rachelle groaned softly and turned onto her side, facing Ginny now. Ginny froze in her writing, staring at the older girl. As soon as she was sure that she was still asleep, Ginny continued on.

A shadow passed the doorway, and Ginny looked up to see Sirius there, having paused when he saw her awake. Ginny gave him a weak smile, trying to inform him that she was okay, without actually speaking. He only stared at her for a moment, obviously not believing her. He glanced sideways at the sleeping Rachelle, then gave Ginny a meaningful look. He stepped away from the doorway, pulled the door shut, then left.

Ginny sighed at the abrupt lack of light. She capped her pen and dropped it into her bag over the side of the bunk she had been appointed. The half written letter, Ginny folded gently and slipped under her pillow, listening to the small crinkling noise it made as it rubbed up against the soft fabric.

Laying her head down on the pillow, Ginny fell asleep, her thoughts still focused on Harry.

* * *

**A/N - Okay, the title suggestions, that I liked, are _Deliverance _(From LAoR)_, The Fraternity _(From Fugacity)_, The Uprising _(From stonekenobi7)_, The Innocents' Revenge _(From stonekenobi7)_, _and _A New Hope _(From stonekenobi7)_. _ I did tweak some of the titles a bit to make them more my style, but all credit goes to the people who suggested them. Vote for which one you like best, and whichever gets the greatest amount of votes, wins.**


	3. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me.

**The Innocents' Revenge

* * *

**

**A/N - Sorry about the delay. I've been super busy working on my NaNo outline. It's coming along great, though. And as you can tell, I've chosen 'The Innocents' Revenge' as my title.

* * *

**

**~~~ Chapter Two ~~~**

Hermione walked down the hall with Neville at her side. She was glad for the company he brought. Ever since Harry had been arrested and Ron had died, so long before, she had spent most of her time alone while at Hogwarts. She hadn't really realised that she didn't really have any friends besides Harry and Ron, when she had been with them. She was now glad to have Ginny and Neville, and even Luna, although not, perhaps as much as the other two. The Ravenclaw was a little too…eccentric, for Hermione's taste.

"Dean, Seamus!" Neville called out, gaining the attention of the two other Gryffindor boys.

"Hey Neville," Dean greeted. Seamus nodded, looking reservedly at Hermione. Hermione backed off and let Neville speak to the other two boys. For some reason, he was better at getting them to speak up about their opinion of Harry, at least without letting a huge argument break out, as had happened the few times that Hermione had tried.

Hermione had to admit that she had been a bit stand-offish since everything had happened, and it was bothering her that nobody really seemed to like her anymore. She wondered if it was always just being Harry's friend that had brought her friends.

"They've agreed to meet us," Neville reported, returning to Hermione's side.

"Good. That makes twenty people who are on Harry's side, unless, of course, Luna has managed to get some more supporters," Hermione recounted.

"We'll probably have doubled that amount by the day of the meeting, as fast as Luna is somehow managing to get them to come" Neville said, glancing around to make sure nobody was listening on to their conversation.

"It's possible," Hermione nodded. They arrived at the Charms classroom and fell silent, as they were now surrounded by an abundance of students. Hermione's eyes fell on Malfoy, who looked pale and weary. She knew that both of his parents were in hiding, and so his being at Hogwarts was a risk to them. However, Hermione also didn't feel too bad about it. They were deatheaters, after all.

**~~~ TB ~~~**

"Severus!" a voice hissed. Snape paused and backtracked, looking down a small alley between two buildings in Knockturn Alley, where he found himself.

"Lucius?" Snape questioned, stepping closer.

"Shh!" Lucius hissed, then reached out and pulled Snape into the alley with him.

"I thought you were in hiding," Snape commented dully, watching Lucius' expression as the man looked around warily.

"I am, but Narcissa is ill. I had to get her something to help," Lucius sighed, running a weary hand through his long ratted hair.

"In Knockturn Alley?" Snape looked sceptical, but then decided that Lucius might not be entirely sound of mind. He did look a terrible mess, anyway.

Suddenly, Lucius turned to him, disregarding the last question. "And what about you? They know you're a deatheater as well. Why aren't you in hiding?"

Snape hesitated, then decided to confide in the other man. "Dumbledore,"

Lucius considered that. "Do you think, maybe…" he trailed off, uncertain.

Snape stared at him in surprise. "That Dumbledore could give you protection as well?"

Lucius nodded, ever so slightly.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "You'd go to Dumbledore for help?"

Lucius looked instantly regretful. "I just want to protect my family," he whispered, his eyes lowering.

Snape made a hurried decision. "Get Narcissa and meet me in the old Tavern at midnight tomorrow," he stated.

Lucius looked surprised, but nodded agreement. "And Draco?"

Snape paused. "I will speak to Dumbledore about him as well," he assured.

Lucius nodded thanks and Snape left the alley. As he walked away, he tried to imagine the expressions that would be on the faces of the others. A Malfoy turning to the light side? It was definitely a shock.

**~~~ TB ~~~**

Remus stood several yards behind Stan as Stan and Richard spoke quietly. Remus could hear nothing, but then again, he wasn't really trying. Instead, his attention was focused on the small group of children playing near one of the cabins.

He wondered what had happened to make them have to stay in the Preserve. He knew that one of them, the youngest boy, had been born as a werewolf. Both of his parents were werewolves. The other four were here all alone, without parents that he knew of.

He almost hoped that they were all orphans, even as horrible as it sounded. He didn't think he could bear the thought that their parents might have abandoned them because of what happened. Unfortunately, that was probably what had happened.

"Lupin!" a sharp voice broke him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Stan and Richard watching him, obviously waiting for him to come over.

Remus obliged.

"I have agreed to let Stan speak to the pack for you, but you will not be allowed to," Richard started. "If any member of the pack happens to want to join your cause, they will come to you. The children," Richard waved an arm over toward where they were playing, "will not be allowed to in any instance. I do not want them getting hurt. The others can make their own choices."

Remus nodded agreement. Of course. He wouldn't have let the children join Dumbledore's cause anyway, and he highly disagreed that the Hogwarts students should join as well, but that was not his choice to make.

"Tonight's the full moon," Stan said, "so I will not try to rally them. After that, they will need to heal. It will be at least four days before I will be able to speak to the pack as a group. Richard agrees."

Remus nodded his acceptance. "Of course. I understand,"

Stan nodded goodbye to Richard and led Remus away, back to their cabin. It was almost dark, which meant that the full moon would be out soon. The thought made Remus slightly queasy with nerves. The last time he had been here, he hadn't been around for the full moon. This time, he would be running with the pack. The thought made him very nervous. Of course, in school he had run with a makeshift pack – Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail. They weren't real wolves though, and he had been the alpha. Now, it was different. He wondered how Moony would react to so many different scents.

"It's time," Stan said. Remus looked up. Stan stood there, shirtless, and wearing only ragged shorts.

Remus stood and followed him out of the cabin, and to the far side of the gate from where they had entered. There was a large wooden blockade there, which, Remus knew, surrounded a large area of woodland, so that the werewolves could roam around without too much trouble.

Remus and Stan moved past the blockade and joined the group of people that were standing behind it. Most of them were only half dressed, causing Remus to lower his eyes to the ground. He understood though. Most werewolves had very little to wear. When they changed forms, the clothes they were wearing ripped and become unable to be worn again. They wanted that to happen to the least amount of clothes possible. Obviously it was quite normal for them.

The group fell silent as Richard joined them. Richard scanned the group, then asked, "Is everyone here?"

Nobody replied and Richard nodded. He turned and shut the blockade behind him, locking it to make it impossible to open without human hands.

For almost fifteen minutes, the group stood in a tense silence, just waiting. Then, the full moon appeared above the tree line and it started.

**~~~ TB ~~~**

Ginny walked beside Sirius down the cobbled street. At the moment, they were just wandering, avoiding returning to Ralph's home, for Ginny's sake.

They had already been in France for five days, and Ginny hadn't liked it a bit. The time she had spent in Rachelle's presence had been horrible, and now Sirius was almost regretting his choice to stay with Ralph and Sofia.

"We should just return for the meeting, Sirius," Ginny recommended. "We can come back later for the appointment."

Sirius considered it seriously this time. "That's a possibility. I'm kind of sick of France too," he sighed.

"Plus, I'm sick of never being able to understand anyone," Ginny grouched. Rachelle had purposely spoken in French a lot, simply to annoy Ginny.

Sirius nodded sympathetically. Although he had, at one point, been able to speak French, albeit it a bit raggedly, he no longer knew the language. It was one of those things that had slipped from his mind in Azkaban.

Ginny looked up at the sky and saw that it was starting to darken. Sirius noticed as well, because he said, "We should head back."

Ginny looked over at Sirius. "We'll go home tomorrow, right?"

Sirius studied her, then sighed. "I suppose so."

**~~~ TB ~~~**

Hermione walked with Neville and Luna at her sides. It was past midnight, but they knew that even if they were caught out of their dorms, they wouldn't get in too much trouble. Hermione was Headgirl. Neville and Luna were both prefects, mostly due to Dumbledore. He knew that they might need the power that being prefects gave them.

"Are you sure this is where he said it was?" Neville asked.

"Yes, seventh floor, across from that tapestry," Hermione nodded at the tapestry that they were standing near.

"We were supposed to pace," reminded Luna, looking intently at the wall that they were standing in front of.

"Oh yes," Hermione said. She closed her eyes and paced back and forth three times. Neville and Luna watched her.

Hermione opened her eyes again and stared at the wall. Slowly, a door formed. Hermione stepped forward cautiously and pulled at the handle. The door opened to reveal a large room, with flickering torches lighting it. Wooden bookshelves lined the walls and there were cushions on the floor, rather than chairs. At the far end of the room, a variety of Defence Against the Dark Arts instruments sat on a shelf.

"Whoa, Sirius was right," whispered Neville in awe.

They had found the Room of Requirement.

* * *

**A/N - Please review.**


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, but you should know that by now.

**The Innocents' Revenge

* * *

**

**A/N - Guess what? Between the last time I posted and now, I've written over 50,000 words in a novel. Exciting isn't it? You gotta love NaNoWriMo. :) Still, that's why it took so long for me to get this posted up. You try writing 5000 words every day for eleven days straight and still want to working on a fanfic on the side. Anyway, I thought I'd spread the joy and post this up so you people could be happy too. Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**

**~~~ Chapter Three ~~~**

Ginny had never before thought she would be so happy to see Grimmauld Place again. In fact, just a short time before, she had despised the place. Sirius was the same way, although she knew it was for entirely different reasons. That thought had officially been proven wrong. When Sirius apparated her to the door step, and they entered the dreary place, she was relieved. It had been a long day. They had left France early that morning, much to the protests of Ralph and Sofia. Rachelle, on the other hand, had slept in and hadn't even realised they were leaving. They had then spent many hours at both ministries, first arranging their trip home, and then, because they were already there, then arranged for their trip back to France later on. It had been exhausting.

Ginny set her trunk at the base of the stairs, glancing around. It was the same as always. The covered up portrait of Sirius' mother, the house elf heads, lining the stair case. Sirius set his truck down as well, and then led the way down the stairs to the kitchen below.

As they entered, they found Dora, sitting alone at the table. She was looking gloomily down into a cup of tea. When they came in, she looked up, startled.

"Ginny! Sirius! What are you doing here? I thought the pair of you were still in France?"

"We came back early," Sirius reported, closing the kitchen door and entering further.

"The question is, what are you doing here? I thought you were working all this week,"

Sirius sat down across from Dora.

"I was. There is still some warm tea on the stove, by the way, Ginny," Dora told her. She turned back to Sirius. "Unfortunately, they caught me snooping, and now, I'm on probation."

Sirius sat up straight, alarmed, "But Kingsley and Moody are still there, right?"

"They are. Moody was caught also, but you know how he is, able to talk and intimidate himself out of anything. I don't know if Kingsley has even done any investigating," she gave him the report.

Sirius nodded. "I didn't really expect him to, honestly. He should be concentrating on getting Harry out of Azkaban," He settled back into his chair, and Ginny gave him some tea before sitting beside Dora.

"Have you heard any news on Remus and Stan?" Ginny asked.

Dora shook her head. "No. They don't have a lot of privileges at the Werewolf Preserve. No letters out," she lamented.

"It does allow visitors, though, right?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

Dora looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't see why they wouldn't. The full moon was two days ago. It's perfectly safe, at the moment," she replied.

Sirius gave her a meaningful look. "You look depressed. Go see him."

Dora nodded her head slowly, thoughtfully. A half smile formed on her face. "You know what? I'll be back later, okay?"

Ginny and Sirius watched as Dora stood and left the room immediately, and then there were alone, again.

**~~~ TB ~~~**

Remus was in a bad mood. It was perfectly understandable. The full moon had been only two days previously, and even in the best of circumstances, it made Remus irritable. This full moon had been anything but good. With the abundance of wolves on the preserve, the woods had been full of new scents. Scents that had made Moony crazy. He had spent the whole night fighting with the other wolves. Of course, that was what all the wolves did. Werewolves weren't meant to be kept together.

The problem with this is that he had started a fight with the Alpha, Richard. Nobody fought the Alpha, unless they were challenging his position or they had a death wish. Remus knew that. His wolf counterpart, however, didn't. Moony had chosen, of all the wolves in the forest, Richard.

And so, they had fought.

The fight had been long, and both had been wounded. Moony, it had turned out, was a pretty even match for Richard, and it had ended in a draw. However, when they awoken the next morning, Richard had been very upset at him, for undermining his authority, not to mention almost beating him.

Remus had been avoiding Richard ever since the argument that had taken place the following morning. Stan had stayed impartial to both partied, and had spent the majority of the time trying to calm Richard's temper down.

Now, though, Remus had to confront Richard, for the first time. There was no other choice. He would starve to death, otherwise, and that just wasn't part of the plan. It couldn't happen, or Remus knew he would face Dora's wrath. She had strictly told him to take care of himself. Sirius had seconded it.

Richard controlled the food. You had to go to him if you wanted anything, which meant, for the last couple of days, since the full moon, Remus hadn't eaten. Not because Richard hadn't given him anything, but because Remus hadn't gone to him.

Remus knew that he was just being a wimp. In days gone past, he would have been teased mercilessly by his fellow Marauders. He wouldn't have hesitated to go up and confront Richard. And if he ended up beaten down and humiliated, James and Sirius would've been there waiting to pick him up and put him back together.

Those days no longer existed. Now, he had Dora and…well, Dora to worry about. He had to be around to take care of her instead of making her take care of him.

So, it was with much nervousness that Remus got in the queue for the food. Stan was standing in front of him in line, although he wasn't paying much attention to Remus. His attention was the woman in front of them. They were walking about some obscure topic that Remus didn't pay much attention to.

However, Remus felt a little stab in his heart at the sight of them talking to carelessly. How long had it been since he had spoken with Dora? Or even just seen her? It felt like it had been forever.

All too soon, Remus was next in line, and he got his first good look at Richard. Claw marks raged over his face, still very red. On his bare arms, Remus could see many bruises and cuts. Richard's left arm had a bloodied bandage on it.

For a moment, their eyes met, and Richard look ready to kill. Stan watched warily from the side as they stared at each other, both trying to win the silent duel.

Remus looked away first, backing down. He needed to survive, after all. Glancing back up, he saw a satisfied smirk on Richard's face, as he gave Remus his portion of the food.

Remus walked away, grateful that nothing else had transpired from the encounter. As he walked, his leg, still weak from the full moon, and the fighting that had taken place during it, caused Remus to stumble and some of the food fell off the tray and onto the ground.

Suddenly, Richard was in front of him, yelling about wasted food and ungratefulness.

Remus didn't even comprehend what had happened. He instantly moved into a defensive position and Richard did the same, ending his yelling rant. A silence fell over the camp as both men stared at each other, both in fighting stances. The air was tense around them. A fight was about to break out, one that Remus was sure he would lose.

"Remus?"

Remus spun around, recognising the voice. Dora stood there, looking confusedly between Remus and Richard. Richard relaxed slightly, and straightened.

"What are you doing here? This is a dangerous place for a woman, nonetheless for one in your condition," Richard barked at Dora.

"I came to see Remus…" Dora stumbled to a stop as she saw the glare that Richard sent in Remus' direction as she spoke.

Dora sent Remus a questioning look, but he didn't reply, instead walking forward to grasp Dora's hand.

Remus met Stan's eyes. "I'll be back," he murmured, then pulled Dora out of the Preserve, grateful for her timely appearance.

**~~~ TB ~~~**

Kingsley stared down at the list that was being passed around. He was at the Monday morning auror meeting, and the list for aurors willing to patrol the halls of Azkaban was going around, as usual.

Normally, Kingsley just passed the list on to the next auror in line, but this time, he examined it. There was only one name on the list already, and it was the name of the auror leading the Azkaban section of the Auror Department.

The auror next to him sent him a questioning look. Though they went through the routine of passing the list around each week, nobody ever signed up. It was a hassle to get volunteers to do this particular job, but nobody blamed them. Azkaban was a horrible place, even just to work.

Kingsley's quill touched the parchment, and he signed his name on the second line from the top, then, under the "suggested partner" box, he printed Dora's name. She was a lower level auror, meaning she couldn't sign up herself. Of course, Dora would be asked whether or not she would go to Azkaban with Kingsley. He already knew that she would say yes.

It was all part of the plan.

Kingsley then passed on the parchment, and it continued on it's way, nobody else signing up.

**~~~ TB ~~~**

"And where have you been?" shrieked Molly as her daughter entered the house warily.

"Uh…France?" Ginny tried.

Molly glared at the girl. "Don't be smart with me! You disappear for more than a week, and don't even answer my letters! I had no idea where you are, or what happened!"

Her mother's tirade went on, but Ginny tuned it out, as usual these days. It was quite a common thing, what with all the things she was doing to help Harry. Dumbledore had tried to convince her family to let her have some freedoms, but it had backfired. Instead, Molly and Arthur Weasley were even more reluctant to join Dumbledore's cause. So Ginny had conveniently forgotten to tell her mum that she was going to France. It would never have been allowed. So, she opted on just disappearing and hoping that she didn't get in too much trouble when she returned.

Of course, the truth wouldn't even be believed.

Ginny finally escaped her mother's wrath with a few yelled protests and fled to her room. It really was a pity that Sirius hadn't allowed her to hide out at Grimmauld Place.

**~~~ TB ~~~**

Hazed colours and sounds floated around Harry. These days, the memories seemed to blur together into one big horrid mass of torture. Luckily, the dementors weren't in the area at the moment, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Still, Azkaban was Azkaban.

A leering Azkaban guard past, patrolling while the dementors were elsewhere. Harry ignored him, as usual. He just stayed in his corner, reliving his past, all the while wishing for some escape. It seemed impossible.

Yet, one memory crept into his mind, one that wasn't horrible. A face. It was kind, smiling, and familiar. Harry couldn't place the face, as hard as he tried. He knew though, that escape wasn't impossible. Hadn't he done it before? He couldn't remember. But he suspected he had. With the face, whoever he was. Harry rubbed his tired eyes. If only, he could remember who that was, and how he had escaped.

The sudden cry of a nearby prisoner disturbed his frustrated thoughts. Another prisoner started moaning, and then a woman screamed in tortured agony.

Harry tensed up, withdrawing into himself. The dementors were coming.

**~~~ TB ~~~**

Hermione stared out the window at the sunset. The next day was the meeting with Dumbledore, and then the day after, the meeting with all the students. She was nervous. It wasn't the pair of meetings that made her nervous, though that was certainly nerve wracking, it was the thought of seeing Harry again. She remembered their last encounter clearly. During it, he had said a few words that made her question his crime and discover his innocence. Then, she had gone to tell on him and ruined everything

She did want to see Harry again, of course. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that she wished they were friends again, just like they had been before he had been arrested the first time. That was ruined, and Hermione suspected that it would never come back. Her thinking that he was guilty made it impossible.

For that reason, Hermione was nervous. She didn't know how he would react, especially having spent more time in Azkaban. And it hurt, thinking that things would never be the same.

* * *

**A/N - Please Review. Thanks a bunch. :)**


	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: **Nope, still not mine.

**The Innocents' Revenge

* * *

**

**A/N - Oh, wow, it's been forever, hasn't it? Sorry. Real life got in the way, I'm afraid. It's a pain, but it'll only get worse as time goes on. I'm sure you can all relate. The good news is that Christmas break starts next week, so hopefully I'll have to some time to write some extra chapters and get ahead so I can start posting regularly again.

* * *

**

**~~~ Chapter Four ~~~**

Once again, Sirius found himself in his living room with the members of the rebellion group against the Ministry. The group was, Sirius supposed, a branch of the Order of the Phoenix, but it wasn't exactly the same thing. This group was mostly to save Harry, not get rid of Voldemort. Not to mention that very few members of the Order of the Phoenix knew about this group. Most of them had not been nearly as supporting of Harry as they should have been.

Instead of Sirius' usual companion of Remus, Ginny was at Sirius' side, just watching, like Sirius was. Sirius had accepted her presence as a normal thing, by this point in time, since she had elected to stay at Grimmauld Place rather than stay at the Burrow, with her over protective mum, or be sent off to Hogwarts, where her education was already very much behind and she would have an impossible time trying to catch up. It was just the best option for her to stay close to where the action was taking place.

A few members of the group had yet to arrive. Remus wasn't there, and neither was Dora. Dora hadn't been seen since several days before when she had gone to visit Remus at the Preserve. Sirius wondered what had happened to her, but assumed she was all right. Remus would never allow anything to happen to her. He was way too protective of her.

Also missing were Snape and Stan. Kingsley, Moody, and the three students from Hogwarts, however, were there, just waiting for the meeting to start.

Dumbledore was, as of yet, not in the room, but Sirius knew that he would appear as soon as the meeting was to begin. He had, after all, brought Hermione, Luna, and Neville from Hogwarts when he had come, so he was around, somewhere or another.

The door opened and Sirius glanced in that direction. Remus and Dora entered together, both looking solemn. Remus, Sirius noticed, had a new scar running down his face, presumably from the previous full moon.

Sirius sent Remus a questioning look, but Remus just shook his head in response. Sirius supposed that he would hear about whatever was bothering them during the meeting. If not, he could always corner Remus later on.

Exactly at the top of the hour, Dumbledore entered the room and scanned the people in it. He frowned slightly, noticing the absence of several members, but then turned and led the way into the other room without a word.

They all settled around the table in their chairs of the previous week. Now, the missing members stood out more obviously than they had before.

Dumbledore scanned the table, and his eyes finally landed on Remus. Seeing Dumbledore's expectant stare, Remus leaned forward, letting go of Dora's hand.

"Let's hear your report, Remus," Dumbledore said softly.

Remus sighed and started to speak. "I haven't actually accomplished anything. With the full moon, things have been tense around the Preserve. Stan couldn't even get away for this meeting," he said, his eyes focused on the table.

Dumbledore's eyes turned to Tonks, and then back to Remus.

"How long has it been since you've been to the Reserve, Remus?" Dumbledore asked after a long moment of silence.

Remus looked up in surprise, his eyes meeting Dumbledore's for a short moment before focusing on back on the table.

Sirius sent Remus a curious look, but Remus avoided his eyes.

"Three days," he finally replied in a low voice.

"And why is that?" Moody asked, sending a glare in Remus' direction. It was clear he didn't like the fact that Remus seemed to be abandoning his post. Sirius glared back at Moody, silently defending his friend. He was sure Remus had a good reason.

"I couldn't. Richard, the alpha...we had a...disagreement. I am not allowed back there now. I've been banned," Remus explained.

"Is that what that scar is about? Did this "Richard" person give it to you?" Sirius asked, his voice low with anger.

Remus automatically reached up to the freshly healed scar on his face. Dora had healed it shortly before the meeting, but it was still very visible.

"It is, isn't it?" Sirius continued.

Remus didn't answer, instead saying, "The gaining of the alliances of the werewolves lies squarely on Stan's shoulders now."

Dumbledore nodded, looking troubled. He turned to Sirius next, prompting him to speak.

Sirius' news, however, was not much better than Remus'.

"A meeting is scheduled with the French Minister of Magic, to take place in two weeks. However, I suspect that they will not provide us with any help. They are just putting on a show and delaying replying, at the moment," Sirius stated.

Dumbledore frowned, considering this report.

"So, does anyone have any good news?" Dora asked, trying to lighten the mood after it had been silent for several long minutes.

Kingsley looked up. "Mine could be considered good news. I have signed up to be on Azkaban duty. Starting in a week, I'll be patrolling Azkaban Prison for three days, then after a two day break, for five more days," he told them.

"On that note, I don't think Dora should be going with you. We should find someone else to take her place," Remus spoke up abruptly.

"Remus," Dora warned.

"No. You're ill," Remus insisted in a low voice, glaring at her.

Sirius studied Dora's face and noticed that her face was paler than normal. Her hair, instead of its usual vibrant colour, was a dull brown, her natural hair colour. He was surprised he hadn't noticed before. Now that he studied Dora, it seemed rather obvious that something was wrong with her.

"I'm well enough for this," Dora replied curtly.

"It's too late anyway," Kingsley told Remus.

"Too late?" Remus repeated, turning to look at Kingsley.

"I've already signed the document saying I agree to go, Remus. I can't back out now," Dora told him quietly.

Remus frowned, looking upset.

Sirius wondered at this and decided to confront Remus about it after the meeting. His old friend was definitely hiding something.

"Miss Granger, what do you have to report?" Dumbledore broke through the tension.

Hermione looked up, startled as every gaze turned to focus on her.

"Oh, well, the first meeting of all the students we've gathered is tomorrow evening," she replied. "We've told them nothing about what the meeting really is, but they're all supporters of Harry."

"Actually, I've been mentioning learning to defend ourselves, like extra Defence lessons," Neville added.

Dumbledore looked pleased. "Good. Use that. The three of you can teach extra defence. Possibly go into duelling. It will ready them for whatever they may need to do, later on,"

"But, none of us are very good in defence," Hermione pointed out.

"Or at least," Hermione added at Remus' incredulous look, "good enough to teach."

Dumbledore turned to look at Remus thoughtfully. "If we make it an official club, it would have to have a mentor. Remus, you could do that, provided you don't mind going back to teaching," he suggested.

Remus shook his head. The months he had taught were pleasant enough, and it wasn't like he had his other assignment to get in the way, now.

"Of course, since it's just a club, the Ministry need not know about it. That solves one problem. A different problem, however, is our Defence professor this year,"

"Umbridge," Neville muttered, frowning. Hermione, too, looked displeased at the sound of the professor's name.

Luna was gazing up at the chandelier, seemingly not even paying attention to the conversation.

Sirius let out a low growl at the name. He certainly remembered that woman. She had caused many problems for both Harry and Remus. She was one person who Sirius wouldn't mind disposing of, preferably in a very inhumane way.

"Dolores Umbridge was appointed by the Ministry. She will certainly interfere with as much as is possible. As it is, I doubt I will stay headmaster for the full year," Dumbledore informed them.

Hermione looked alarmed. "But then, what can we do?"

"About Umbridge? Very little, I'm afraid. However, I do believe your defence group can go on as scheduled, even with Remus as your teacher. It will simply have to take place in secret," Dumbledore told them.

Hermione nodded, but she didn't look very pleased. It would be very difficult to keep everything up if it had to stay hidden.

"Anything else to report?" Dumbledore asked, his gaze landing on Moody.

Moody sat up straighter. "On the ministry front, I believe we do have some progress. Most of the aurors, all but some of the very stubborn, devoted ones, believe the Ministry is corrupted. I've spoken to several, discretely, and I believe that with a little effort, I could rid the Ministry of the support of the entire Auror program. We could have them under our control," he reported.

Dumbledore looked at the other two aurors for confirmation. "It's true," Dora confirmed. "Most of the lower level aurors are already regretting joining the auror program because now that they're there, they are realising just how much corrupt power the Minister has. It'll be all a matter of convincing Scrimgeour to break away, really."

Dumbledore nodded. "Be cautious, but proceed none the less. We don't need the Ministry discovering our rebellion group yet. We have to get Harry out first," Dumbledore warned.

Moody, Kingsley, and Dora nodded in silent agreement.

* * *

"Remus, wait!" Sirius called out, hurrying down the stairs.

Remus paused and turned, Dora turning with him, as their hands with entwined. Both were in the entrance room, about ready to leave.

Sirius' mum's portrait woke up and started screaming obscenities, but Sirius just ignored it. "I need to talk to you for a minute or two," he informed Remus.

"I'll wait here," Dora said agreeably, then sent Remus a significant look.

Remus sighed and followed Sirius into a room, leaving Dora to deal with the screaming portrait.

"Yes?" Remus asked impatiently.

Sirius studied Remus carefully. "You're hiding something," he stated.

Remus shifted, his carefully blank expression flickering slightly.

"What's going on with Dora?" Sirius asked. "You can tell me, you know."

Remus sighed. "Nothing's going on. We're both just stressed," he replied.

"Tell me about it," Sirius muttered, running a hand through his hair. He, too, was more stressed than he had been in a long time. Harry was definitely something to worry over.

"No, not just about Harry, though he is a concern. You see...we've decided to move the wedding up,"

Sirius stared at Remus for a few moments. "What?"

"The wedding...it's going to be in a few weeks instead of next summer," Remus told Sirius.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at the werewolf. "Why?"

Remus shrugged. "Dora decided she didn't want to wait that long," he answered.

"You're not even going to wait for Harry to be around?" Sirius asked.

Remus hesitated. "Sirius, we don't even know how long it will take for us to get Harry out. I can't rely on it being anytime soon. Besides, my time is limited, you remember," Remus murmured, revealing a glimpse of his blackened hand to Sirius.

Sirius flinched at the sight of it. "Of course. I'm sorry. I understand," he muttered, the reminder of his friend's upcoming death turning his mood into a subdued one.

Remus didn't reply, just watching Sirius for a long while. Finally he said, "This doesn't change anything, you know. I still expect you to be there, as my best man. With any luck, Harry will be there too."

Sirius sighed. "Yeah," he nodded.

The problem was, it did change things. Remus was already relying more on his future wife than on Sirius, something that bothered Sirius to the extreme. Where had their close friendship gone?

* * *

**A/N - For those who care to know, I finished NaNoWriMo with 86,000+ words, but I'm still working on finishing the novel. It's almost done though, I basically just have to write the ending, but that's always been the hardest part, for me. Thanks for the past reviews, and here's to hoping for more on this chapter!**


	6. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: **Somehow, even I told everyone I owned Harry Potter, I don't think they wouldn't believe me...

**The Innocents' Revenge

* * *

**

**A/N - Guess who got a Wii for Christmas! Not me! Technically, it was my sister who got it, but seeing as she lives with me...Don't worry though, I've only spent a grand total of two hours on it in four days, and half of that was doing Wii fit, which isn't really a video game...sort of. My sister, on the other hand spent three hours on it all in one night...but let's not get into that. No, all that time that I was supposed to spend writing was actually spent reading other peoples fanfics, and starting a few new ones of my own. Oops? Heh. So, yeah...but hey, the next chapter is already halfway written!**

**Oh, and the reason I might sound a little spazzy in this author's note is because I'm high on Christmas candy. XD**

**And, I might warn you now...this chapter was also written on a sugar high, so it might be below my usual standards...**

**

* * *

**

**~~~ Chapter Five ~~~**

Harry growled under his breath as he woke from yet another nightmare involving his time with Voldemort. Unlike his usual nightmares, it was not about someone he had murdered under Voldemort's command. Instead, it had been a memory of Voldemort tutoring him. Harry rarely dwelled on those lessons while in Azkaban - far worse things permeated his life. This particular memory, however, Harry couldn't seem to get rid of. It wasn't even that horrible of a memory. It had actually been one of the few lessons where Voldemort hadn't lost his temper and ending up cursing Harry in one way or another. The lesson was the one in which Harry had discovered that he shared many traits with Voldemort, making them even more similar than he could have previously imagined. The fear that discovery brought about still haunted him, even here.

The ever-present dementors were surprisingly absent, though for how long Harry didn't know. They were likely wandering another hallway of the prison. Not that Harry cared where the dementors were, as long as they weren't anywhere near him. Their absence made his mind clearer than normal, but there still seemed to be large blank periods in his memories, which, he though, must be where all his good memories were supposed to go.

Sitting up, Harry blinked as the cell suddenly grew very much lighter than it had been just seconds before. It took a moment, with his fuzzy mind, to figure out why. The sun was shining through the small crack that was supposed to suffice as a window.

Confused as to how this was even possible, Harry stared at the light. He hadn't seen light like that in so long...

The sunlight never came through that window. Or, at least, it hadn't for as long as Harry could remember.

Stumbling to his feet, Harry went to the window and peered out. He couldn't see much, of course. He didn't have his glasses, since they broke after his first week there, and nobody had bothered to replace them.

Still, Harry could see colour. It wasn't just grey anymore. The sun lit up the water around the island prison, turning it blue and almost clear enough to see through all the way to the bottom. A bright blue sky was filled with only puffy white clouds, and a warm breeze filtered through the windows, startling Harry as its presence confirmed that what he was seeing wasn't actually an illusion. He could feel it. It had to be real.

"Harry?"

Harry flinched and turned around, and as he did, the beam of sunlight that he had seen come through the window abruptly disappeared, being replaced by the usual darkness. Harry could hear a storm raging outside, and drops of rain leaked in from the crack of a window.

Okay, so maybe it had been illusion... That couldn't be good.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up, suddenly realising why he had been knocked out of that illusion in the first place. Someone was calling his name. Or at least he assumed it was his name. It sounded familiar, at any rate.

Outside his cell was a woman with light purple hair. She stared at him, looking concerned. Behind her was a man, who looked tall and forbidding in the shadows of the hallway. Unlike the woman, who Harry thought he slightly recognised, he was a complete stranger.

Harry studied them, trying to figure out why they had come to visit him. He noticed, after a long moment, that both were wearing auror robes. They must have been patrolling the halls. By why stop at his cell?

"We're going to get you out of here, Harry. I promise," the woman stated, still frowning.

Harry stared at her, uncomprehendingly. Why would they help him out? He belonged here, didn't he?

Not wanting to search very deep into his memories for fear of what he might find, he silently took her word on it, then turned away without replying, taking a seat back on his bunk.

"I don't think he even recognised me," the woman's voice murmured, sounding mournful.

"He will," the man's voice came, though he sounded unsure.

As the pair walked away, Harry stared after them. He was sure the woman had something to do with a wolf, but he wasn't sure how the two were connected...

That face that tended to pop into his mind when he tried to think of anything out of Azkaban came back and Harry stared at the unknown face from his memories. Yes, she was somehow related to this face as well. If only he could remember...

"Welcome, everyone," Neville greeted, standing in front of the large group of students they had gathered. Hermione and Luna were at his side, but they stayed silent, allowing him to speak. He had, after all, been the one to gather most of them.

"We've asked you here today because we don't think Umbridge is doing a very good job at teaching us Defence. We've decided to find a new way to learn defence. So, we found a teacher, and we're going to start learning in secret,"

"Who's the teacher?" Parvati asked.

Neville waved his arm over to the corner where Remus had been hiding in the shadows, waiting for his moment of introduction. The students all turned and several gasped, none of them having not noticed their past teacher standing there.

"But we need to keep this a secret. Umbridge can't know," Neville stated firmly.

"We should have a name," one student called out. Remus recognised him as a Ernie, one of the students in Hermione's year. And Harry's too.

Neville glanced sideways at Hermione, and then at Luna. Luna was watching something on the far side of the room, but Neville didn't bother asking what. Hermione, however, shrugged.

"Okay, what do you suggest as a name, then?" Neville asked tentatively.

Names of all sorts started being called out by the various students, but eventually, Neville, Hermione, and Luna helped sort out the one that seemed to fit their group the best. The Defence Association, otherwise known as the DA, was decided upon to be their name.

"Now, Remus, if you'll start with the lesson," Hermione invited, nodding to him after the chatter had died down. She took a seat, along with Neville and Luna and everyone's attention turned to Remus.

Taking a deep breath, Remus stepped forward and allowed a pleasant smile to grace his face. "I thought we'd start with something easy enough. The Disarming Charm..."

Harry lay on his bunk, feeling the dementors effects fade slightly. Once again, they were moving out of his range, and his mind was become clearer.

Shaking away the last of the memories that had been troubling him, Harry began thinking about those two aurors that had visited him earlier today...or was it yesterday?

Harry shook his head. Time was a concept lost on him while in this place. For all he knew, it didn't even exist outside either. Who knew, really?

Pondering on the woman, he couldn't help but think of the stars, though he wasn't sure why. He went through all the star constellations, that he could remember anyway, in his mind, but none seemed to fit her. He felt a certain pain at the thought of the Dog Star, Sirius, though he wasn't entirely aware of why.

Rolling to his feet, Harry began to pace around his cell, taking the chance to move about while the dementors weren't hovering over him and causing him to feel too ill to do anything other than lie on his bunk.

"Tonks!" he cried out finally. He was sure that was the woman's name. Strange name, though. Who would name their daughter Tonks?

Shaking that stray thought away, Harry concentrated on the man, but then concluded, since he hadn't brought any recognition to Harry that they probably hadn't met before.

"Or maybe I'm just crazy," Harry muttered, staring at the wall. The shadows on it seemed to twist around and form grim shapes. Shapes that haunted Harry day and night. Those he had hurt...murdered...

Harry closed his eyes, willing the images to leave, but he knew they wouldn't. They were always there. Always.

Collapsing back on his bunk, Harry wrapped his arms around himself, forgetting the woman's name in an instant as soon as his thoughts changed course.

"How did your first class go?" Sirius asked as a weary looking Remus entered his living room and collapsed onto the couch.

"Do you know how many of those students can't even perform a basic disarming charm? Not to mention how naive about the world they are. What Dumbledore is suggesting is impossible. The DA won't be able to fight in time to help us with anything,"

Sirius frowned. "They don't necessarily need to fight, Remus. We're trying to get rid of the Ministry, not Voldemort. He's already been taken care of," he reminded. "By the way, the 'DA'? Is that what they decided to call themselves? Or is it a secret code name meaning Dumbledore's Army?"

"They chose it. And it stands for the Defence Association. However, Dumbledore's Army is certainly fitting," Remus replied, then sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

Sirius studied him. "Where's your lovely fiancée tonight?"

Remus frowned. "Azkaban. Apparently, their time schedule got messed up, so she'll be there with Kingsley both this week and the next instead of just next week. She'll be spending the nights in the auror quarters of Azkaban,"

Sirius nodded. "Want to spend those nights here then? Ginny is around, somewhere or another, so it makes three of us who have no one else to be with. Perhaps we can distract you from your loneliness? Plus, three is definitely better than two, as least on this occasion anyway. It's hard to play exploding snap with only two people. Trust me, I've tried plenty of times,"

Remus rolled his eyes. "You could always try chess instead,"

"Chess bores me,"

"Fine. I'll stay," Remus relented; though he hadn't really wanted to spend the next couple of nights alone anyway.

Sirius grinned. "Great," he stood and headed for the door. "Ginny!"

* * *

**A/N - Hey, anyone notice that "dementor" is like "demon" and "torturer" all portmanteau-ified? I noticed that while writing today. And it's kind of fitting as well, seeing as they're _demons _who _torture_ you. **


	7. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter still belongs to JK Rowling.

**The Innocents' Revenge

* * *

**

**A/N - Sorry this took so long to get out. I've been busy studying, since finals are next week. Still, the next chapter is already written, it just needs to be edited, so hopefully it won't take nearly as long to get out as this one did.**

**Oh, and if you notice anything weird with the formatting, missing words or spaces, or something similar, it was because the site wasn't uploading my document properly. I went through it, but it's possible I missed something.**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Six**

The night was dark as Dora and Kingsley walked through the halls of Azkaban, on their usual patrol route. The dementors were on a lower floor for the night, thank Merlin, and so the pair of aurors was able to complete their inspection in plenty of time, and avoid the dementors at the same time.

Most of the prisoners were dozing on their bunks, but a few looked up or called out insults or threats as their cells were passed by. Having spent already the best of two weeks here, Dora was used to it, and she simply ignored them all.

Besides, she was on a mission, and wouldn't allow herself to be distracted. It was something all aurors were required to master. They had to be the best, after all.

Coming to a certain cell, Dora glanced for a long second at the sign hanging by it, reading it silently.

_**Prisoner **__**ID: #16088095**_

_**Sentence:**__** For life**_

In the cell they stood outside of was one Harry Potter. He was asleep, though his dreams were troubled, if the expression on his face was anything to go by

Dora sent a final glance in Kingsley's direction, and noticed he looked very unsure of himself. She thought it might be the first time he had ever done something illegal. And this was about as illegal as you could get. If they were ever caught, they were sure to be imprisoned.

Pulling out her wand, she whispered the charm to make the keyhole appear, then unlocked the cell with the key that she had stolen from off of her boss's desk. She was sure that if he ever found out, she would certainly be fired. Actually, she could probably be imprisoned for that too. No wonder Kingsley looked anxious.

Pulling open the cell door, Dora took a hesitant step inside. As she did so, Harry turned over on his bunk and his eyes flew open. As his piercing green eyes landed on her, she paused.

"Harry? We're here to get you out. Will you come with me?" she asked softly, not sure how unstable his mind may be or how much he would understand.

"Why?"

Dora was taken aback by the question. "Don't you want to get out of here?"

Harry frowned at her. "I belong here, though. I'm a murderer,"

His voice sounded haunted. Dora was horrified. How could he believe that?

"No. No you're not. Come on. Let's get you out of this place," Dora insisted.

Still looking unsure, Harry stood and allowed Dora to guide him out of his cell. She closed it and locked it back up, sealing the keyhole as it had been before. Harry watched with mild interest, squinting as he struggled to see.

Frowning, Dora realised for the first time he didn't have his glasses on. She scanned his cell for any sign of the glasses, but didn't see them.

Shrugging it off as unimportant, Dora led the way, her wand out, down the hall. Harry was behind her, with Kingsley behind him.

As she walked, she kept an eye on the prisoners to either side. The most dangerous part about this is that any of these prisoners could easily speak about what they were seeing, especially if they were feeling spiteful.

Dora sped up at that thought, and it didn't take long for them to exit the prison. Dora led the way down the rocky path to the dock. She scanned the area for anyone nearby. They were the only aurors on the island, at the moment, but she could never be too careful.

Satisfied that no one was watching them, she turned to Harry, who was staring at the water with a troubled expression.

"Harry. Turn into your animagus form. You know, the bird," she prompted.

Harry frowned, concentrating. After a few moments, a large bird replaced Harry.

"Good, now go to Grimmauld Place. Sirius is waiting for you there. Okay?"

The bird didn't give her any indication that he had heard, instead simply taking off.

Dora and Kingsley watched, worriedly as the bird soared up into the sky and then disappeared among the clouds. Neither of them really wanted Harry to have to get to Grimmauld Place alone, but they had no real choice. They had to stay at the prison until their shift was over.

"I suppose we should go report the missing prisoner," Kingsley murmured after a while.

Dora nodded. "Yeah, I suppose we should,"

Turning, they both headed back up to the prison.

* * *

The air was nice, Harry thought as he flew along over the grey waves of the sea, not really sure where he was heading. He had been told to go to Grimmauld Place, and he thought that might be in London, if his memory served him right; though he wasn't sure it was.

Tuning out the instructions of the woman named Tonks, Harry kept his mind on flying, glad to be out of his cell for the first time in...well, since he had been put in it, whenever that had been.

Swooping through the air, Harry let his animal instincts take over and fly him toward land, simple enjoying the sense of being free. As the air slid through his feathers, he decided that he didn't care what Tonks said. This was far too nice to give up; just to go to the Grimmauld Place mentioned. Being a bird was better than being a person, in his experience so far.

After a long while, Harry finally spotted land, and he swooped down, landing on a tree branch near the rocky beach. It was late, and he was tired, so he was determined to get some sleep. With any luck, his mind would be clearer in the morning, since he was away from those dementors.

Tucking his head under his wing, he dozed off.

* * *

"So what are you saying?" the auror in command over the Azkaban aurors requested.

"Harry Potter has escaped," Kingsley stated, bluntly.

There was an awkward silence.

"Again," Dora added, helpfully. She found the whole situation amusing. She knew that, very likely, she and Kingsley would be put on probation for allowing a prisoner to escape while they were supposed to be patrolling, but since she was already on probation, and Harry was now free, she couldn't find it in herself to care what happened. As long as Harry wasn't caught again, anyway.

The head auror scowled at her, and Dora realised that he was probably in big trouble too. After all, this was the second time that a prisoner had escaped from the prison while he was in charge. The first time had been, of course, Sirius and Harry. This time, it was just Harry.

"Get me some parchment," he growled. Kingsley crossed to the desk in the corner and grabbed a piece of parchment, and brought it back over to the man.

Scribbling a note on the parchment, the auror rolled it up and sealed it, before pulling some floo powder out of a small box on the mantle and tossing it into the flames. The fireplace flared green, and the auror muttered a destination and tossed the rolled up parchment into the green flames. It disappeared, and the flames turned orange once again.

"So, what next?" Kingsley asked, after a long silence.

"Now, you two get back to work, and so help me, if someone else escapes..." he growled, threatening them, "And I'll wait for the Ministry representative who is on their way, and the team of aurors who will arrive to start searching the area."

Dora nodded. "Yes sir. I'm sure no one else will escape," she stated, hiding a smile. Of course, they wouldn't. They were all criminals, unlike Harry.

Kingsley and Dora left the main office and headed back into the prison, and Dora shivered at the cold air that filled the prison. She really hoped that the escape caused them to be taken off of patrol early, so she could get away from the prison. She didn't like it, at all, even with the small protections they had against the dementors.

"I hope Harry gets to Grimmauld Place without too many problems," Dora commented, once they were on the second floor, and far out of hearing range of the main office.

"He's escaped once, and been on the run. This time, he has the ability to fly. I'm sure he'll be there before we get back," Kingsley replied in a low voice, glancing sideways as they passed the cell of a leering woman, who he didn't know the name of.

"It's probable. I just wish we could get a message to Sirius, so he is expecting Harry. If Harryturns up in London, at Grimmauld Place, without anyone knowing, it is possible that he won't be able to get into the house. It is under some wards, isn't it?

"He's been there before, hasn't he? He should be fine, Tonks," Kingsley stated firmly, ending the conversation.

Dora nodded, then allowed the conversation to end. They weren't, strictly speaking, supposed to be talking while patrolling the halls anyway. Who knows what they prisoners would hear, then, and be able to use against them in the future, if they were to ever escape, or be freed due to chance?

After they had walked through the entire prison, scanning every cell for possible problems, they retired back to their bunks in the auror cabin.

Dora pulled her blanket up around her, shivering, despite the warmer air that filled the building. She couldn't wait to see the sun again.

* * *

Waking up to see the sun the next morning enthralled Harry greatly. He pulled his head out from under his wing and simply stared at it for the longest time.

Then, unfurling his wings, he took to the air, allowing the warm rays of sunlight to caress his wings and dry the dew that had gathered on them over the night.

When he had warmed himself up, completely, he soared higher than ever before into the sky, heading further inland. He had to find something to eat, even if it just ended up being raw meat. He was fine with that. After all, he was a bird, now.

* * *

**A/N - Anyone read _Reckless_ by Cornelia Funke? I picked it up at the library yesterday, because I like the author, but I have no idea what it's about or if I might like it. Let me know, if you have read it, and what you think. Thanks.**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: ***Checks name on the Harry Potter series covers* Nope, it all still belongs to JK Rowling.

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N - Wow, I'm so sorry this took so long. You know how the last time I posted I said this chapter was just in need of editing? Well, turns out, I hate editing, so it's just been sitting there. Still, I've been busy. I took all of my Finals for this semesters (and flunked my digital video production class :o), and then took my SAT test. It was very stressful for me. Plus, I've had writer's block, which really isn't an excuse for not editing a story, but who cares. Anyway, I've got another chapter and a half written, so hopefully it won't take me so long to edit them this time. Enjoy.**

* * *

Dora tiredly pushed open the door of Grimmauld Place and entered. The house was entirely too quiet, considering Ginny Weasley and Sirius Black were supposed to be under the same roof.

"You think anyone is even here?" she murmured softly to Kingsley.

"I don't...wait, do you hear that?"

They both fell silent and listened carefully. The faint sound of voices was coming from the room where the rebellion usually met.

"Is another meeting going on?" Dora asked, glancing sideways at the other auror.

"It's possible. We've been gone for two weeks," he replied, then led the way through the house to the door. They both stopped outside of it and listened.

"They don't seem to mind me as a teacher, but I think they're starting to suspect something is up," Remus' voice came. Dora shifted impatiently at her fiancé's voice.

"I think so too," Neville agreed. "Umbridge has the Slytherins patrolling the hallways around the entrance to the Room of Requirement. It's only a matter of time before one of them catches us. If we didn't have the map, it would be near impossible for us to meet at all."

"I meant the students in the DA, actually, but yes, that too," Remus added.

Dora chose that moment to push the door open and enter the room, Kingsley following behind her.

Everyone looked up, startled, as they came into the room. Sirius and Remus both stood, looking anxious.

Dora was highly aware that she didn't look her best, just having spent two weeks among dementors and in a grimy prison setting, and so flushed when everyone continued to stare at her.

"You're back!" Remus finally said.

"Where's Harry?" Sirius asked next. Ginny was staring at the doorway behind the two aurors, silently willing Harry to walk through it next.

Dora and Kingsley exchanged a glance. "You mean, he's not here?" Dora asked.

There was a silence. "Was he supposed to be?" Ginny questioned, looking concerned as she finally turned her attention to Dora.

Dora sighed. "There was only one way to help him escape. We had to get him out of his cell, and then let him fly here in his animagus form. We assumed that he would get here before us,"

"And the Ministry hasn't caught him yet," Kingsley added.

"But, the Ministry hasn't reported any prisoners as having escaped," Sirius informed them, looking troubled.

"Come, sit down before we discuss this further. You're probably exhausted," Dumbledore invited.

Both aurors obliged, Dora walking over to take a seat beside a pale looking Remus. He instantly grabbed her hand and smiled weakly at her in relief. She, in turn, smiled back.

"Where's Moody?" Kingsley immediately noted the absence of his fellow auror.

"He hasn't been to either of the last two meetings. In fact, he's been completely out of contact," Remus reported.

"So, the Ministry is hiding the escape of Harry, and working their aurors harder than ever trying to track him down before anyone notices," Ginny summed up.

The room went silent as everyone contemplated this. "Maybe...Harry couldn't get here. Maybe aurors have blocked his path, or something," Hermione suggested.

"No. He's a bird. Nobody knows that, except the people in this room, and of us, only Ginny has actually seen him in his bird form. They wouldn't be able to block him. He should have made it here. He's obviously staying away," Sirius replied. He turned to Dora. "Do you know any reason why he might be staying away? You've seen him last."

Dora shifted awkwardly. "He, well, he thought he was guilty. He thought he belonged in prison. And, he couldn't seem to remember who I was," she told the group.

"Maybe he's lost?" Neville suggested, though the suggestion seemed weak.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore softly, his face pensive. "If his mind is clouded from Azkaban, the best thing we can do is wait for it to clear, as it will with time. No doubt, he will return here as soon as he remembers just what is waiting for him.

"Meanwhile, we must go out and search for him. There is no telling what state is mind is in, or where he may go. Voldemort is, luckily defeated, or I may have thought he would go back to him,"

"Never," growled Sirius vindictively.

"You know better than any of us what Azkaban is like, Sirius. You know very well that if Harry's mind was addled enough, he could very well think that he worked for Voldemort all of his life, and never knew us at all," Remus said, "But Dumbledore is right. Voldemort is no longer around for Harry to go back to."

Sirius sighed, burying his face in his hands. He hadn't thought Harry would just disappear like this. Harry wouldn't just leave. Would he?

After another long silence, Dumbledore spoke again. "I think his meeting should be adjourned for the time being. Be careful with the DA meetings, and Kingsley, Dora, go get some rest," he murmured.

For another moment, everyone continued sitting there, but then Sirius stood and swiftly left the room, looking upset. Remus gently tugged Dora out of her chair and they left the room next. With that, low toned conversation broke out among the other participants, and the meeting split up.

* * *

"Albus!"

Dumbledore turned just before he was about to apparate away and found that Severus was the one to have called out.

"Ah, Severus," greeted Dumbledore.

Severus strode forward, coming to Dumbledore's side.

"What is it you have to say?" Dumbledore asked.

Severus met his eyes. "My report. I thought it best not to bring it up during the meeting, as it is something the others would likely disagree with,"

Dumbledore peered around the street. "Perhaps this is a conversation better discussed behind closed doors. Shall we go back to Hogwarts, then?"

The potions master nodded, and together they apparated away.

Several minutes later, both were settled in the Headmaster's office.

"Who has joined, then?" Dumbledore asked after he handed Severus a cup of tea.

Severus took a deep breath. "Lucius Malfoy, and his family. The three of them, well, they aren't so well as on Harry's side as they need your help,"

"I see," Dumbledore frowned, thinking this over.

"They are fugitives of the law. The Ministry searched Malfoy Manor last week, but the Malfoy family had already evacuated it. They've been staying with me," Snape continued.

"And you're just now bringing this up?" Dumbledore asked.

Snape sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Malfoy ran into me quite by accident, and I found out about their dire circumstances. It was he who wanted your help, and I offered my assistance. Later, however, he told me to not go to you. Not yet. At any rate, he has changed his mind again, now that he is stuck in complete hiding, with Narcissa and Draco,"

Dumbledore nodded, understanding the situation. "I think you are right about the members of the council taking their presence at the meetings badly. Perhaps they can just stay in the shadows until we are further along. I will arrange for a safe house for them to be hidden at, as long as they swear loyalty," he stated.

Snape nodded. "I will pass on the message," he agreed, then with a final nod, he swept out of the office, leaving Albus Dumbledore alone with his thoughts.

* * *

"It's been so long since we've actually been able to talk to you. I'm glad Professor Dumbledore let us spend the night here," Hermione rambled on.

Ginny, glad as she was to have her one time best friend around, felt the constant noise grind on her nerves. She was used to almost silence, like she had with just Sirius around. Of course, there was always some music or something playing. Sirius didn't like absolute silence after spending time in Azkaban.

Of course, when Remus and Dora had visited, Grimmauld Place tended to be very much louder, but that wasn't often, or for very long, usually.

"Yeah. Me too," Ginny replied, because it was obligatory.

Hermione paused in her speaking, and frowned at Ginny. "What's wrong?"

Ginny sighed. Yes, there was the Hermione she once knew. The one she couldn't hide anything from.

"Harry," she replied. It was the truth. Harry always seemed to be the source of her trouble and depression lately.

Hermione's frown deepened. "He'll be fine, you know. He's done this before,"

"Not quite. He had Sirius with him. Plus, he was in Azkaban longer this time, and Tonks said that he didn't even know who she was. What if he doesn't remember me?"

"I doubt that will happen, Ginny. He's known you longer than her. Plus, he loves you, doesn't he?" Hermione reassured.

Ginny nodded, though she looked unsure. "He did, at one point," she answered faintly, then climbed into bed.

"I reckon he still does, Ginny,"

Ginny shrugged. "Perhaps. Either way, it doesn't matter now. All that matters is how we're going to find him,"

"Are you going to go out searching for him?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. With Sirius, probably. We know him best. We'll find him," Ginny replied.

Their conversation faltered, then, as both girls fell silent, both hoping that Ginny's statement was true.

* * *

Sirius sat alone in the dark kitchen. Ginny, Neville, Luna, and Hermione had long since gone to bed, and all the others had left shortly after the meeting ended. It was only after they had all disappeared that he came out from his room and made his way back to the kitchen for some tea.

The tea was meant to calm his frazzled nerves, but it wasn't doing much good.

Grim thoughts were flying through his mind faster than he could really process them. Was it possible for Harry to be hurt, somewhere? Was he unable to get here, or was he purposely avoiding coming back?

Or even, did Harry not remember him at all?

The thought was a painful one for Sirius. He missed his godson greatly, and if all the things they had done together were erased from Harry's mind, things would never be the same between them.

Sirius leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of aching neck tiredly.

Deciding to go out searching for Harry first thing in the morning, Sirius got up and left the room, heading for his bed.

* * *

**A/N - It's my birthday today (my seventeenth!) and you know what would make a great present to me? Reviews. Tons of them. Please?**

**Oh, and just to let you know, since I last updated this story, I've written two oneshots, _Black Regrets _and _Weasleys_. Go read and review them as well, please.**


	9. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: **Uh no, still not owned by me.

* * *

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N - Surprise! It's actually not really super late this time. Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Ginny couldn't help but sigh as she once again walked down an unfamiliar street, a large grim like dog by her side, heading for an alley where they might apparate to the next location.

It was almost dark. They had been searching all of the places they thought Harry might go to, but none of them revealed any sign that Harry had been there recently.

Looking up at the sky, Ginny thought that might be in his bird form still. It made the most sense to her, and Sirius agreed, she knew. They had spoken of it in the privacy of their last destination. Still, they had to keep searching, just in case.

"We should probably head back," Ginny muttered, entering an alley and going toward the back and around the corner, where nobody would be able to spot her.

As they left the view of the muggles, Padfoot transformed with a slight 'pop', turning back into his human form.

He didn't answer her for a long moment, but then he nodded silently, and held out an arm.

Ginny silently reminded herself to have him teach her how to apparate at the next possible time. Relying on others to take her everywhere was getting annoying.

Only a few moments later, they arrived at Grimmauld Place.

"Any sign of him?" Remus asked as they entered the kitchen. He and Dora were sitting close together at the table, and both had a steaming cup of cocoa in front of them.

"None," Sirius replied, taking a seat.

Dora looked frustrated. "Where could he have gone? It's not like he didn't have someplace to go, orneeded to hide, like before. He could have come here,"

Sirius shook his head. "I may not know why he isn't here, but I do know that he will, in time, make his way back here. He'll miss human company, after a while," he replied.

"Perhaps, but how long will that take?" Remus asked.

Sirius could only shrug.

Remus and Dora exchanged a glance, and the conversation died.

Ginny settled down at the table then S at the end of it, away from whe others sat.

"Maybe he thinks he won't be welcome here?" she suggested after a long while.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Sirius asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Well, think about it. He was a deatheater, before he left, and to the wizarding world, he is seen as the betrayer. Perhaps he thinks the Order won't accept him back, and since we're staying at Headquarters, he isn't willing to come here," she expanded on her previous comment.

Sirius looked thoughtful. "Then, how do we let him know he can come here?"

There was no answer for that. The only way was for Harry to seek them out, and that seemed like an unreasonable thing to wait for. They were all impatient to see him again.

* * *

"Do you think we should wait for Harry to be found?" Dora asked.

The soon to be married couple were still in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, though Sirius and Ginny had retired to their rooms.

"Wait for what?" Remus replied, looking up. He clearly had been buried in his thoughts.

"The wedding,"

"It's already planned. We can't very well change the date, again," Remus pointed out.

"We could, though. Every person we invited we speak to regularly. It wouldn't be too difficult to inform them all,"

Remus frowned. "You're sure you want Harry to be there?"

"You don't want Harry there?" Dora returned.

"Of course I do. It's just; I want the old Harry there. The one who enjoyed spending time with Sirius. The one who fell in love with Ginny. The one who hadn't yet murdered under Voldemort's orders.

"This new Harry just isn't the same. He didn't even recognise you, if you recall. Perhaps…perhaps it's better to go on with the wedding without him," Remus replied, looking slightly guilty.

Dora looked troubled. "It's true that he didn't recognise me, but that was while he was still in prison. He's probably better now. And that old Harry…he's still there, deep down,"

"You don't know that. You heard what Sirius said. Azkaban changes people. Permanently. We have no way of knowing just what Harry knows or thinks anymore,"

"Okay. How about, we delay the wedding just a week. Give him time to return if he wants. Then is he hasn't, we can go on without him," Dora suggested.

Remus nodded. "That sounds reasonable,"

He stood from the table, and took Dora and his empty cocoa cups over to the sink, to be washed later.

* * *

In his mind, Harry cursed once again as he flapped his wings to gain altitude. Hunting, he found, was not that easy, even with his raptor eyes and quick reflexes.

He hadn't thought it would be too difficult. He had, after all, been a brilliant seeker, and how much different could hunting little animals be?

Apparently very different.

All he had managed to catch, in the past two hours, was a measly rabbit, which he had gobbled down instantly, hungry as he was. The raw meat, though not horrible due to his animal mindset, felt weird going down, and Harry couldn't help but cringe.

Perhaps a bird lifestyle wasn't the best way for him to live.

* * *

"You don't think he'd go live with the muggles, do you?" Hermione asked. She was technically supposed to be at Hogwarts, but Dumbledore had allowed her to stay a few days longer, due to Harry going missing. Luna and Neville, on the other hand, had returned to Hogwarts. Their absence would be more noticed than Hermione's. Her head girl duties had her disappearing during classes and at odd times during the day.

Ginny and Sirius exchanged a glance.

"It's always possible, I suppose," Sirius replied, frowning.

"Especially since the Ministry hasn't announced that he has escaped. The muggles aren't even looking for him," Ginny added, looking thoughtful.

"We're sure the Ministry actually hasn't caught him, right? And we just haven't heard any news of it?" Hermione asked then.

"Moody would have informed us of that," Sirius reassured her.

Hermione frowned, but then nodded.

Ginny got up from the table and headed into the other room, not feeling like discussing this any longer.

Sirius silently got up and left the room too, leaving Hermione alone. She stared at the maps of Britain that were spread out on the table. Red X's covered them in every place Sirius, Ginny, or another person had searched for Harry. So far, he seemed to be at none of them.

This worried Hermione extremely. She knew Harry knew how to handle sticky situations - his first five years at Hogwarts were proof enough of that - and he had encountered enough things to know how to handle himself if a dangerous situation ever came up, but she still didn't know what to think.

It was as if Harry had simply dropped off the face of the planet.

* * *

Harry crept quietly through the darkened town, heading toward a store near the outer edge. Hunting had turned into a disaster when he had nearly been killed by an even bigger bird than he was, and he had quickly retreated, heading for the nearest town for something to eat.

Yet, he couldn't actually just walk in and buy something. He couldn't know who was out looking for him. Surely the Ministry, at the very least, but most likely other people as well.

The store doors were locked, but Harry had already assumed that they would be. He looked around, surreptitiously, and seeing no one, picked the lock with a pin that he had found earlier and had been storing for such an occasion.

With a 'click' the door opened and Harry entered, glad there was no alarm on the door.

Not daring to turn on the lights, Harry walked through the store, staying out of the view of the windows, just in case, and walked to the bakery section. His grabbed several loaves of bread put them in a bag he had acquired, and then headed to the canned goods. From there he stole several cans of fruit and vegetables, and a tool to open them with.

Finally, he crept back out of the store, locking the building back up, and walked away, hoping to look casual.

Feeling a slight guilt as he glanced backwards, he sighed. He had completed worse crimes, of course, but stealing like this, in the middle of the night, seemed more wrong than anything he had done in any other circumstances, though he wasn't sure why.

Reaching the edge of town, Harry set the bag of food down, turned into a bird, then picked the bag back up in his talons and gained air until he was soaring above the village.

It didn't take long for him to reach his hiding place, in a large tree. An abandoned nest from some bird, larger than Harry, suited him perfectly as a place to stay for a while, until he figured out what to do.

Dropping the bag, Harry changed back into his human self and then instantly started digging through the bag, eager for the meal.

* * *

"What do you think?" Dora asked, posing in front of a mirror.

Ginny shrugged, but Andromeda started gushing over how beautiful her daughter was.

They were trying to find a wedding dress quickly, since the date was only a few days away.

"Ginny?"

"It's fine," Ginny promptly replied to Dora's inquiry.

Dora sighed, her good mood dropping. "Ginny, this was supposed to take your mind off of other things. Pay attention, will you?" she scolded lightly.

Ginny gave her a half smile. "I'm okay. Really," she assured.

Dora studied her for another moment, then turned back to the mirror. "I don't know which one I like better, this one or the first,"

"Well, the first looks slightly more flattering, but I like the touch of colour that this one has," Andromeda stated her opinion.

Ginny once again tuned them out. Though she knew this day was important to Dora, she couldn't find it in herself to be excited. Not when Harry was going to miss it.

* * *

**A/N - Next chapter : Dora and Remus' wedding, and Harry finds his place in the world. **

**And remember; reviews make the world go round, so do your duty to the world and review my fic. ;)**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to Joanne Rowling. My name is not Joanne Rowling. Yet. The papers are still being processed for that.**

**The Innocents' Revenge

* * *

**

**Chapter Nine**

"Relax, Dora. You look beautiful. Besides, this is Remus we're talking about. He wouldn't care if you came out stark naked," Andromeda reassured her daughter.

Dora sent her a glare, but she couldn't help but smile.

"He'd probably prefer it, actually," a voice came from the background, sounding amused.

Dora turned and saw Sirius standing in the doorway. He was leaning casually against the doorframe and was wearing his best robes, purchased especially for the occasion.

"Everything set?" Sirius asked as everyone turned to him.

"Just about," Ginny replied, finishing the last touch on Dora's hair. It was, for once, her natural shade of brown. Dora thought that if she was marrying Remus, he might as well see her as she was, and not with her usually brightly coloured hair.

"How's Remus doing?" Andromeda asked.

"Nervous as anything, but excited too," Sirius answered truthfully, having been with his friend for most of the morning.

Andromeda nodded. "Of course he is,"

"All right. I think I'm done," Ginny stated, pulling away. Dora immediately turned an inspected her hair in the mirror that had previously been behind her.

Andromeda nodded in acceptance of the simple but elegant hairdo that her daughter now sported and then turned back to Sirius. "Go ahead and start the progression,"

Sirius sent a wink at his now panicking cousin and then left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

"Breathe, Dora. How would it be if we had to cancel this because you passed out with nerves? Hmm?" Andromeda cautioned.

Dora followed her mother's advice, taking a few calming breaths. She turned to look in the mirror, one more time, before taking a few steps toward the door. "I'm glad we settled on the one I could actually walk in," she murmured under her breath, shifting nervously under the silky white material.

The trio walked over to the door and upon opening it, found Ted Tonks standing there, waiting to lead his daughter down the aisle.

Ginny handed Dora her bouquet of flowers, wished her good luck, then headed passed Dora's father into the hall, leaving Dora and her mother behind. She knew the family probably wanted a private moment alone. Besides, as the Maid of Honour, she was supposed to go down the aisle first.

Ginny had, at first, been astonished when Dora had asked her to be the Maid of Honour, considering they had only known each other for a short time, and weren't really all that close. Then she realised that she had never seen Dora with any other friends of her own gender and age. Dora spent nearly all her time with Remus and Sirius. Ginny had wondered at that for a while, but couldn't come up with why.

Still, any other friends Dora had probably wouldn't have accepted Remus as a good husband anyway, since he was a werewolf. Remus' lycanthropy was the main reason the wedding's guest list was restricted only to family and close friends.

Reaching the doorway to the main room, where a small amount of guests were sitting, Ginny peered into the room, nerves suddenly filling her. She didn't quite know why. She knew almost everyone in the room fairly well.

Andromeda appeared at her side, gave her a brief smile, then walked down the aisle to her seat, at the very front. Then, it was Ginny's turn.

She kept her eyes on the front of the room, just willing herself to get there without tripping. To her luck, she managed.

Then, all attention was turned off of her as Dora appeared in the doorway.

Ginny, relieved that her moment in the spotlight was done, took the time to examine the people in the room. Remus stood near Dumbledore, who was performing the ceremony. The werewolf's eyes were focused solely on Dora. At Remus' side was Sirius, who was the Best Man. Facing them, the rest of the members of their small rebellion group sat, along with a couple other relatives of Dora, who Ginny had never met.

Also present in the front row was Remus' mother, who Ginny had only met just that morning. Ginny hadn't even been aware that Remus' mother was still alive, until earlier that day when she had appeared at the door while Ginny had been greeting guests.

Then, the bride reached the front of the room and the ceremony began for real.

Ginny turned her attention to Dumbledore and the couple being married.

* * *

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Dora and Remus turned away from watching the few guests who were dancing to see Sirius behind them, smiling slightly.

Remus grinned back. "Not so much," he replied.

"Can I get a dance with the bride?" Sirius then asked, nodding out at the dance floor, which Remus and Dora had recently vacated.

Remus handed his wife's hand over to Sirius, and Sirius guided her out to the dance floor.

For a long moment, they just swayed in silence, among the other pairs of dancers, then Sirius said, "When is it due?"

Dora paused, frowning. She glanced around cautiously before answering, "What?"

"You know what I mean. There's quite an obvious reason you and Remus decided to have the wedding so . Not to mention Remus has been overly protective, and you've been 'ill'," Sirius gave her a look.

Dora avoided his gaze and instead looked over to where Remus looked deep in conversation with Stan, who was dressed in a ragged muggle suit. Remus' face was drawn into a silent frown and looked concerned at whatever Stan was telling him.

Remus looked up suddenly, as if sensing Dora's gaze on him and sent her a brilliant smile. Stan nodded politely in her direction, then disappeared into the crowd behind Remus.

Finally, Dora turned back to Sirius, who was studying her face intently, still waiting patiently for a reply.

"Does anyone else know?" Dora asked then, knowing she had to reply with something.

"Not that they've discussed with me," Siriusreplied.

Dora nodded. "It won't be too much longer, now," she finally answered his first question.

Sirius nodded, looking thoughtful.

* * *

Harry crept, once again, through the village toward the grocery store where he continued to steal food on a regular basis. He had pulled it off three times, now, and so was getting fairly comfortable with it. Even the guilt had started to wear off.

Glancing around and seeing no one, he walked up to the door and unlocked it with his pin. He had mastered the art of picking locks and it now took him less than ten seconds.

Entering the store, Harry kept out of view of the windows and went toward the back of the store. Just before he reached the bakery section, the lights of the store flickered on and Harry froze.

Two men, one older and one younger stood there, both of them glaring at him. The older one held up what Harry thought was a gun. Without his glasses, he couldn't see more than vague shapes, which is why he spent a lot of time in his bird form where his eyesight was, incredibly, perfect, better even, than a regular human's.

"Stop where you are, sonny," the man holding the gun said.

Harry stopped, not wanting to get shot. He held up his hands in surrender.

The younger man stepped forward. "Who are you? Why are you stealing from our store?"

Harry hesitated before answering, but then figured it would do no good to avoid it.

"I need food. I don't have money, and I can't get a job," he replied.

The younger man frowned. "And who are you?"

Harry once again hesitated. "Orion," he blurted out the first name that came to mind, then cringed away from it. What kind of a name was Orion?

"Orion, huh? I ought to call the cops on you," the older man stated.

"Father," the younger man warned, giving the older man a stern look.

After a moment, the man lowered his gun, but continued to glower at Harry.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just, I need food," Harry pleaded.

The younger man studied him. "I can see that. How long have you been out on the streets, Orion?"

"Two years," Harry answered, giving the amount of time since he had been sent to Azkaban the first time.

"And you need a job, you say?"

Harry nodded cautiously.

"I'll strike you a deal. You stay here and work for us and you can work off the food you stole, plus additional food, which we'll provide for you. Sound good?"

The older man sent a scowl in his son's direction.

Harry nodded. "Okay," he replied.

The younger man smiled. "Great. I'm Henry Jones, and this is my father, Jacob Jones," he informed Harry.

Harry shook his hand. "Orion Jameson," he replied, giving a false name that he had been thinking up in the last few moments.

"I warn you, though, we won't tolerate any more stealing, or dishonesty,"

Harry nodded. "I understand,"

"Now take your leave. Get here at seven AM, sharp, for training. Got it?"

Harry nodded and left the store. As he headed away from the store, the lights flicked off behind him, leaving him in darkness.

Finding a good unseen place, Harry changed back into his animagus form and flew toward his nest. He felt his stomach rumbling uncomfortably, as he hadn't managed to get any food.

Landing in the nest, Harry changed back into his human form and settled against the edge of the nest, staring up at the blurry stars. He pondered his name that he had drawn out of his mind randomly.

Orion Jameson. Jameson made sense, since he was James' son. Orion, though, felt like a painful memory. Harry just couldn't figure out where it had come from.

It was the name of someone he had known, probably, but there were a lot of blank spots in his memory, and he couldn't figure out whom the name came from. He suddenly hated the name, like everything else that came from his past. He wanted to leave everything like that behind him. And now he could. He was starting a new life as Orion Jameson. A life as a muggle.

* * *

Sirius shivered in the cold night air as a breeze washed over him. Even in dog form, the air was freezing. Snow was falling lightly and it landed in Sirius' fur, making him looked speckled.

Ginny was wrapped up in a winter coat beside him, so she wasn't shivering nearly as hard.

"He's not here," Ginny noted dryly. They were leaving the last muggle hotel in the small village, and he wasn't there, not that they really expected to find him there. He was probably hiding out in the woods, somewhere, not in a hotel.

Sirius whimpered slightly, acknowledging her.

Sighing, Ginny led the way into an abandoned alley and Sirius turned back into his human form to apparate them both back to Grimmauld Place. Though he had begun to teach her the skill of apparation, she had only managed it once, and that was with splinching herself.

The house was dark when they arrived, not that they were expecting anything different. They only ones who might have been there were Dora and Remus, and they were at their own home, at the moment. It was a full moon, after all.

* * *

**A/N - So, what do you think?**


	11. Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer: **Yet again, I shall say it - Harry Potter doesn't belong to me.

**The Brotherhood**

* * *

**A/N - Writing is being weird for me right now. I either write a whole bunch or I write absolutely nothing. Monday, I wrote over 5,000 words. Yesterday, I wrote only 100. Today looks like another good day, but who knows what tomorrow will bring?**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Harry showed up at the Jones Grocery Store early the next morning, an hour before he knew it would open. Henry Jones had not given him any particular time to come to start working, but Harry figured this time would be suitable.

"Ah, you must be Orion Jameson," a girl said as he walked up to the front of the store. She had previously been sitting on a bench near the storefront, and was obviously waiting for him.

"Um, yes," Harry replied, squinting to try and see the girl better. He could tell she had red hair, but that was about as much as he could make out.

"The employee entrance is in the back. I can show you the way, if you'd like," she said.

Harry nodded and the girl started to walk around the side of the building. Harry hurried to follow.

"I'm Sarah Jones. I believe you met my father and brother last night," she commented, glancing sideways.

"I suppose so," Harry murmured.

"While you were breaking into the store," Sarah added.

Harry didn't reply.

Sarah paused as they reached a door. "I don't mind too much. If they hadn't hired you I would have had to start working. Now I have more time to spend elsewhere," she told him candidly.

She pulled the door open, revealing a dusty hallway with a staircase and several doors leading off.

"The stairs lead to where we live, above the store. The door on the right is a storage room, and to the left leads to the main store. See you later then," Sarah explained, then dashed off, up the stairs.

Harry squinted after her, bemused, but then turned and went through the door on the left.

The figure of a man was there, seemingly putting cans of something onshelves.

"Orion, I see you made it," Henry said, straightening up.

"Yeah," Harry replied.

Henry studied him for a moment, taking in his raggedness. "Finish stacking these on the shelves for me while I go get something for you to change in to. Think of it as a uniform," Henry said finally, then left the room.

Harry moved forward and examined what he was supposed to be stacking. It was cans of fruit, pears in particular.

Glad it was something he could do without his eyesight being at its best, Harry picked up the first can and placed it on the shelf.

* * *

"How about you take a break from searching today? You've been at it for a week straight. When's the last time you took some time for yourself? How long has it been since you went to visit your mother?"

"That's not true," Ginny replied, looking up at Hermione, who was, once again, visiting Grimmauld Place. "I took a break two days ago for Remus and Dora's wedding. Neither of them would permit us to go searching that day. As for time for myself, that can wait until after I find Harry,"

"And about your mother?"

Ginny turned to look at Hermione with a sour look. "We aren't on speaking terms right now. She doesn't accept my choices,"

"All the more reason to go speak to her," Hermione stated.

Ginny glared at her.

Hermione frowned slightly, but backed off. "Okay, fine. Where are you going to go searching today?"

"Sirius wants to try London again. We haven't really searched it very thoroughly yet," Ginny replied, pulling on her coat.

Hermione nodded. London was a big place; did they expect to be able to find him there?

"When is Dumbledore coming to pick you up again?" Ginny asked.

Hermione glanced at the clock. "He should be here any time. Breakfast in the Great Hall should be nearly over, and I need to get back before my first class starts,"

Ginny mused over that for a moment, thinking about how strange it was that normal things, such as school, continued on while her abnormal life plodded through so many difficulties.

The fire flared up and Dumbledore stepped out. At the same time, Sirius walked in to the room, looking tired, as was normal these days.

Dumbledore took in the scene before turning to Hermione. "Ready, Miss Granger?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, Professor," and the pair set off out of Grimmauld Place, Sirius and Ginny following them.

As there was no flooing in and out of Hogwarts, Dumbledore had to apparate them to the gates. Dumbledore himself had just come from a meeting at the Ministry.

"Any luck with the Minister?" Sirius asked Dumbledore as they all went into the entrance room.

Dumbledore shook his head. "He is just as unrelenting as usual. However, things can be done about that. I do believe Moody will be at the next meeting, tomorrow evening. We shall get a full update from him then," he replied, then led the way out of the door.

Hermione went out next, then Sirius and Hermione. Once outside the house, Dumbledore and Hermione apparated away, leaving just Sirius and Ginny standing there.

"To London, then?" Ginny murmured.

Sirius nodded. "To London,"

* * *

"Here you are. I hope these fit," Henry said, entering the room again. Harry turned and saw Henry holding a bundle of clothing.

Harry accepted them. "You can change in the storage room," Henry suggested, then took Harry's place finishing the shelving of the cannedfruit.

Harry left the main store, heading to the storage room. Once he arrived there, he stood in the doorway of the storage room for a long moment, trying to find a light switch, but with his bad eyesight it was difficult. Finally, he just gave up and settled for changing in the dark.

A few minutes later, Harry emerged from the storage room, wearing fresh clean clothes that felt nice on his battered body. He made his waytoward the main store again, seeking out Henry. He found him placing objects on shelves, though he had moved to a different part of the store.

"Today you'll just be working the till, with my help," Henry informed him asHarry walked up to his side. "Come on, I'll show you how it works."

Once they reached the cash register, Henry ran Harry through the basic steps of how it worked, then stepped back to allow Harry to try.

Harry frowned as he stared at the particular buttons that he would have to press. He couldn't distinguish between them at all.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked.

Harry sighed, knowing he would have to inform them of this sooner or later. "I can't actually see that well. I lost my glasses a while back," he murmured, avoiding looking at Henry.

There was a silence in which Harry had to resist looking at Henry to see what he might be thinking. Finally, a reply came. "I suppose we'll just have to get you glasses then, won't we?"

Harry glanced over at him. "You'd pay for that?"

"An advance in your pay check won't harm anything," Henry said evenly. "You were doing fine with putting stuff on shelves, though, right?"

Harry nodded.

"We'll stick with that for today then, and after the store closes I'll take you out to get you some glasses,"

Harry considered Henry for a long moment before murmuring a soft, "Thanks," and then heading back over to the far side of the store to finish the job of putting items up on their proper shelves.

* * *

"No luck in London?" Dora asked.

Sirius and Ginny had just walked through the door fromthe entry room to find Dora and Remus sitting on the couch.

"None," Sirius replied dully, falling into a chair across from them.

"What are you doing here, then? I thought you'd be on your honeymoon," Ginny asked, taking off her coat before coming further into the room.

"We decided to stay home, perhaps have an actual honeymoon later on, when everything has calmed down a bit," Remus replied nonchalantly.

Sirius eyed him cautiously. "This has something to do with the baby, doesn't it?"

Remus frowned, glancing at Ginny, but she didn't seem to find anything wrong with the comment.

"No, it's not that," Dora replied, "It's Harry. We can't leave now, when we should be searching for him."

"Speaking of the baby," Ginny murmured, sitting down on the last open seat, "Have you decided on names yet?"

Dora shrugged. "We're thinking Teddy, if it's a boy, after my father,"

"And if it's a girl?"

"We haven't got that far, yet. Dora really thinks it will be a boy," Remus answered.

Silence descended on the room for a long moment, as none of them had anything to say.

Finally, Dora broke the silence. "How did you find out, Ginny? Did Sirius tell you?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, I had my suspicions in the first place. Sirius and I did discuss it, though,"

Dora nodded and Remus stood up. "We should be going. We just stopped by the check out how the search for Harry was going," he murmured. The last few days, before the wedding, they had been so busy, so they had not been included in many of the meetings.

Sirius stood up as well and showed the newly weds to the door. Ginny watched them go before silently getting up and heading up to her claimed bedroom, tired after the long day of fruitless searching.

* * *

"And, there you go. We're all closed," Henry told Harry as he locked the front door with a flourish.

Harry stood near the counter, silently watching Henry move around the store.

"Let me just go inform my family where we're headed and we can get out of here," Henry said, then headed out of the store through the employee entrance. Harry followed and waited in the dim hallway as Henry rushed up the stairs.

It only took a few minutes until he came back down the stairs, Sarah following behind. "Sarah told me she wanted to come," Henry informed Harry, then led the way out of the door. Once Sarah and Harry were out as well, he locked that door too, and they headed further into the village.

"Where are we headed, exactly?" Harry questioned.

"Henderson's Eye Glass World. Best place in Godric's Hollow. It's where my father always goes for his eye check-ups,"

Harry didn't even register the last statement. He stumbled over his own feet and was steadied by Sarah grabbing his arm.

"Godric's Hollow? We're in Godric's Hollow?" he asked in an astonished voice.

Henry and Sarah exchanged a bemused look. "Yeah, something wrong?"

Harry quickly shook his head, putting a blank expression on his face. "No, nothing..."

* * *

**A/N - Next Chapter: Family reunions all around.**


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Disclaimer: **The Harry Potter series was not written by me, and I make no profit from writing this.

**The Brotherhood**

* * *

**A/N - Oh look, another chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Ginny stood nervously outside the front gate of the Burrow, staring up at the house she had grown up in. She missed it dearly, but hadn't been able to visit it, or her brothers, for one reason. Her mother.

Ever since Ginny had run off with Harry and Sirius, so long before, Molly Weasley had been very harsh with Ginny, hence why Ginny was currently living at Grimmauld Place, where Sirius had graciously provided a room for her. She suspected he blamed himself for getting her in trouble in the first place.

Hermione's comment the other day, however, had made Ginny think. Sirius had pointedly told her thathe was taking a break from searching for a day to go visit with Remus and Dora and had candidly suggested that she should go visit with her family as well.

Ginny suspected Hermione had informed Sirius of their conversation and prompted him to do something about it.

So, here Ginny was, outside the Burrow. It was a Sunday, so she thought some of her brothers might be there, as they typically had a family dinner on Sundays. Them being there would hopefully help keep her mum's temper under control, for a while anyway.

Moving to the front door, Ginny knocked tentatively. It felt awkward to have to knock at her own front door, as she had always just gone right in. At the sound of her knocking, the rumbling voices from inside stopped and the front door opened. Ginny caught sight of her father standing there, looking astonished. He looked somehow older than the last time she had seen him. Or just more ragged, perhaps.

"Ginny!" he cried out.

"Hello, Daddy," she greeted shyly, though she had always been very close to him. She glanced past him to see Charlie, Fred, and George all gathered in the kitchen. They, too, looked surprised, but joyful, to see her standing there. Her mum was surprisingly absent.

"Well get in here then," Charlie finally said, grinning.

Ginny did so, stepping past Arthur as she came in.

"Where have you been, little sis? I haven't seen you in ages," Fred proclaimed as Ginny neared him.

"I've been busy," she replied, perhaps a little harsher than she usually spoke to him.

Fred frowned. "You shouldn't even be out of Hogwarts yet, if I recall," he commented, his tone hardening as well. She could sense the resentment he probably felt at her ditching her family.

"Yeah, well I am, and I have a life now," Ginny retorted, but Fred'sstatement was a correct one. She had never actually passed her OWLs or NEWTs. What happened after Harry was found and back with them? She didn't really have a career set out, and she was living off of the Black fortune, at the moment. She couldn't very well do that forever, even though Sirius would probably allow it.

Just then, the mum of the bunch swept into the room and froze in place. For a long moment, she just stared at her daughter in shock.

"Now Molly," Arthur warned softly, but his wife put up an arm to stop him from saying anything.

Ginny tensed, expecting the worst. Fred and George looked ready to scatter, in case an argument broke out.

Then, Molly stepped forward and pulled her daughter into a hug. Ginny was shocked, but accepted it. How long had it been since the last time she had received one of her mother's hugs?

She couldn't even remember, and the thought scared her. It was just more proof that she was really drifting away from her family.

"Oh, I've been so worried. You should've at least written occasionally," Molly gently admonished her daughter.

Ginny nodded. "I've been busy," she informed her, then hesitantly added, "You aren't angry?"

Molly smiled faintly. "Of course I am, but my relief is greater. For now,"

Ginny smiled lightly in return. Oh yes, she was going to get it, later.

"We're just starting supper. You can join in, then we can all catch up. Charlie's here to visit for a week, you know," she said, ushering Ginny over to the table.

Ginny took a seat in between Charlie and George. Charlie nudged her in the ribs with his elbow, then grinned before striking up a conversation with her.

* * *

"Now, you two be good and make sure you're home before dark, missy," Henry told Sarah. She gave him an indignant look, but nodded in reply and Henry walked off, leaving Sarah and Harry alone.

As soon as he was out of sight, Harry and Sarah went off in their own direction, Sarah leading the way.

Harry, wearing his brand new eyeglasses looked around, taking in the sight of the small village.

"So, we have a couple of hours before sundown," Sarah started, "What do you want to do?"

Harry shrugged. "You know this village better than I do. What is there to do?"

Sarah looked around thoughtfully. "Not much, really. Oh, but there is this restaurant at the edge of town that I really like. I'll pay for the both of us,"

Harry, though slightly embarrassed that her family was now paying for everything of his, accepted. A nice warm meal would do him good.

"It's this way then," Sarah said and guided Harry through the village.

As they walked through a residential section of the village, Harry paused outside a small church.

"What?" Sarah murmured, seeing him gazing toward the cemetery.

"Can we go in there for a few minutes?" Harry asked.

Sarah gave him a strange look. "You don't happen to have a morbid fascination for dead people, do you?"

Harry half smiled. "Not at all,"

Sarah let out an overly dramatic breath of relief.

"Thank goodness. I don't think I could handle another freak as a friend. My last friend…well, she ran away to join the circus," Sarah sighed reminiscently. "My life's been so boring, since she left."

"Well, I can't promise you anything, except, perhaps, I won't run away to join a circus,"

Sarah grinned. "Great! Let's go check out the cemetery then," she said, then headed over to the gate, Harry following behind bemusedly.

Once inside, Harry left Sarah wandering about looking at various random graves, and went in search of two in particular.

After a long search, he found them.

Lily and James Potter.

Harry stood over their graves, silently mourning. He made a mental note to come back later, when he was alone, and do the thing properly.

"Do you know them?" Sarah asked.

Harry jumped, not having heard her come up behind him.

Harry glanced sideways at her. "No,"

Sarah frowned down at the names. "They died when I was just a baby. Nobody knows exactly what happened, but apparently a bomb went off in their house. Both the parents, Lily and James Potter, were killed. Their little son, Harry, was taken away, probably to an orphanage or to distant relatives. It was big news here. Horrible," Sarah murmured.

"And this boy, you never saw him again?" Harry asked softly.

"Oh no, he's gone. As far as I know, he's never even visited their graves. Sad really. He'd be about my age. I wonder where he is, you know, what kind of life he's living now, without parents," Sarah stated.

Harry stared down at his mother's name. "Oh, I'm sure it's perfectly...regular,"

* * *

Sarah and Harry made their way out of the restaurant after Sarah had paid the bill and they walked back toward Sarah's home.

As they passed the cemetery, Sarah caught Harry looking toward it again.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're looking for someone there? I mean, you said that you didn't have a morbid fascination with it, so what is going on?" she asked.

Harry looked over at her. "What do you mean?"

"You seem oddly attached to that cemetery. You insisted we go in there, then just look around aimlessly, without finding any particular grave, and now you're looking back there. Do you know someone who died?"

Harry shoved his fists in his pockets as the chilly evening air made them numb with cold.

"I know a lot of people who have died. Doesn't mean I'm looking for them,"

Sarah studied his sombre expression for a long moment.

"Your history is a lot deeper than even my brother suspects, I think," she commented.

Harry didn't reply and Sarah didn't force him to. Instead, they just walked back to the Jones Grocery Store in silence. Harry walked Sarah to the door where she departed, entering the building.

Harry just stood there for a long moment. He was still wearing his borrowed clothing, and his newly purchased glasses were perched on his face.

How could a family he had met only the day before be so kind to someone like him?

With this troubled thought in his mind, Harry transformed into his bird self and flew back to his nest to spend the night.

* * *

"I'm glad you visited. Really. Make sure to write," Molly repeated one more time.

"I will," promised Ginny.

Fred and George, on either side of Ginny, bid farewell as well and the three walked down the path to the apparation point.

"I'm really surprised that didn't end in a fight," George commented idly.

"Me too," Ginny confided.

"I had money on you winning. Too bad it was a draw," Fred lamented. "Though I might still be able to get some money out of Charlie for it…"

Ginny, far too used to this kind of behaviour, didn't bother to comment.

"So, where you headed now, little sis?" Fred asked, after they had walked a little further up the road.

Ginny shrugged. "Back to Sirius' house, I suppose,"

"Is that where you're staying, then?" George questioned.

Ginny nodded silently. "We're searching for Harry," she informed them, feeling she could trust him.

There was a silence before Fred replied in a confused voice, "Isn't he in Azkaban?"

Ginny frowned, not having remembered that the general public had no idea Harry had broken out of Azkaban. The Ministry still hadn't informed them, which was good for Harry, she supposed, but meant that they weren't being informed on sightings that they may otherwise be able to obtain information on.

"He broke out. The Ministry is hiding it," Ginny told the twins.

Fred and George exchanged a look. "I suppose you had something to do with that, then?"

Ginny didn't answer, but Fred and George seemed to know anyhow.

"Well, it seems our little sister is just a regular criminal now, isn't she,"

Ginny smiled tightly. "Oh yes. A big criminal. I'm surprised the Ministry isn't after me yet,"

Fred and George exchanged another glance, and seemed to be silently debating something.

Ginny let them do so. She was used to that as well.

"So you're part of some sort of group, then?"

Ginny nodded absently.

Fred stepped forward and in front of Ginny, making her stop. She looked up at him.

"How do we join?"

Ginny stared at him. "You want to join us?"

Fred nodded seriously.

"Rebellion against the Ministry is on our list of top ten things to do before we die, after all," George quipped.

Ginny rolled her eyes, but then she looked into each of their eyes. They both seemed sincere in their request.

"Okay. Come with me to Grimmauld Place. There's a meeting tonight. I'll talk to Sirius and Dumbledore and see if they say yes," she stated.

Fred and George smiled. "Excellent," Fred stated.

Reaching the apparation point, Ginny grasped both of her brother's hands and apparated away, leading them in the direction they should go.

With a pop, they landed in front of Grimmauld Place. Fred and George stared up at it but Ginny moved forward and opened the front door.

"Okay, get in here," Ginny requested, ushering them in.

"Nice place you have here," Fred commented, looking around at the building.

Ginny was again reminded how dark the house seemed. Living in it had made her far too used to it.

"Stay here and just don't touch anything. I'll be right back," Ginny told them.

Ginny went up the stairs seeking out Sirius, and Fred and George waited patiently, exchanging nervous glances every so often.

A few minutes later, Ginny returned with Sirius following behind. He looked surprised to see Fred and George standing in his entry room.

Coming to the bottom of the stairs, he studied them critically before gesturing for them to follow him and going down the stairs the kitchen.

* * *

**A/N - Review?**


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Disclaimer: Not blond, not British, not rich. I don't own Harry Potter.**

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N - It's been a while, I know, but at least by this point you're used to sporadic updates, right? I blame the site, actually. It's been pretty messed up lately, if you didn't know. That and the craziness of life. Does anyone else notice that time almost seems to be speeding up? Oh, and Script Frenzy a well. Can't forget about blaming that. Writing a script is definitely messing up my writing schedule. Anyway, this chapter is longer than most of mine that I post (not that it's all that long, being only six pages on Word...). I hope you enjoy it, and I'll get started on the next chapter right away, I promise. **

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Sirius was hiding. His bedroom, the same one he had occupied when he was growing up, was his hiding spot. It wasn't that there was really much to hide from. Except, of course, the large crowd of people that were gathering downstairs. It was just that Sirius didn't feel comfortable being around a lot of people. He hadn't been comfortable with it since, well, since he had gone to Hogwarts, really. That was one of the lesser changes Azkaban had forced upon him.

Now, however, it was being forced upon him to face that uncomfortable situation. As the unofficial headquarters of their self-proclaimed rebellion group, Grimmauld Place was now being filled up. It was the first meeting in which everyone the original members had been recruiting over the last five months, since they had started these meetings, were now getting together. Dumbledore had decided it was time.

None of them really knew how many people would show up, but Sirius knew, from the noise echoing up the spacious hallway, that there was more than a few.

A knock on the door brought him out of his grouching. "Sirius, the meeting is going to start soon," Remus informed him, his voice muffled through the door.

Sirius frowned but went to the door to pull it open. Remus stumbled backwards as it opened suddenly. Sirius studied his friend and noted that he looked exhausted.

"Full moon soon?" he commented.

Remus shook his head, then winced, probably at a headache. "It was last night. Plus there's Dora," he added in an undertone.

"What about her?" Sirius asked. The pair started down the staircase, heading toward the mass of people who were gathering downstairs.

"There's less than two months until the baby comes. She panicking, you know. Having second thoughts, going on a cleaning rampage...it's all very exhausting, just trying to deal with her,"

"That's why I never married, mate," Sirius murmured as they finally reached the crowd.

"There you are," Ginny appeared in front of them, looking annoyed. "Sofia, Ralph, and Rachelle showed up a few minutes ago. They were looking for you."

Sirius noted that she looked harassed. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Ginny sighed, "Three fights have already broke out. How all of these people are supposed to work together, I don't know,"

Sirius grimaced. "Oh. Great," he muttered.

Ginny disappeared back into the midst of the crowd and Sirius started scanning faces. He recognised most of them. There were McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey, standing against the back wall. Fred and George Weasley were talking to a trio of girls about their age. A couple of women from the Order were speaking to each other in hushed tones. Dora, seven months pregnant, was speaking to someone Sirius didn't know, but who looked similarly weary as Remus after a full moon. Perhaps he was a werewolf? Remus or Stan were bound to have invited a couple of them from the preserve.

Dumbledore appeared at the front door and started ushering the group into the kitchen, which had been magically expanded for the occasion. Rows of chairs filled the room and they were quickly filled up, upon which people started leaning up against the walls.

Sirius made his way through the crowd, up to the front of the room, where Dumbledore was now talking to Moody. Both men looked concerned as they looked out over the crowd, which was gradually organising itself.

As Sirius appeared at Dumbledore's side, Moody left, stumping away. Sirius watched him go strike up a conversation with some aurors that he likely worked with.

Dumbledore continued to survey the crowd. They were still chattering away and finding their places.

"There are not enough," Dumbledore said softly.

"Not enough people? We've filled the room passed its maximum capacity," Sirius replied. "Do you know how many people are here?"

"If everyone showed up, there should be fifty-five people," Dumbledore informed him.

It looked about that much, but several people could be missing, Sirius thought as he also glanced around the room. He paused as he saw Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy standing in the back of the room and looking uncomfortable. Sirius had, of course, heard of them coming to Dumbledore, but he hadn't actually thought they would switch sides like this.

Sirius spotted Ralph in the crowd and slipped away from Dumbledore's side, with a muttered farewell, to go speak to him.

"Hey, you made it," Sirius greeted.

"Sofia thought it would be fun to visit," Ralph said. Sofia nodded lightly, smiling. Rachelle, her arms crossed on her chest, stared bitterly around at various members of the crowd.

"Well, we can use all the help we can get," Sirius replied.

"Any news on Harry Potter yet? He's been missing how many months now?"

"Four months," Sirius replied, looking sombre. They had even stopped actively searching for him anymore. Dumbledore had told them they were just wasting time, at this point, and sent them off to gather more people. "And I expect Dumbledore will address that issue during the meeting,"

Sirius glanced up at Dumbledore and saw that he was about ready to start the meeting.

Sirius bid farewell to Ralph and Sofia before going to find his seat in the front row, between Ginny and Remus.

* * *

"Orion,"

Harry looked up and saw Sarah standing in the doorway.

"Yes?" he replied, smiling lightly.

A lot of things had changed for him in these three months he had spent in Godric's Hallow.

He had a steady job at the Jones' store, with money coming in. He had saved up enough to rent out an apartment, and was no longer living in his nest in the forest outside of town. He had new and regularly cleaned clothing and was attending the local college, trying to catch up on an education that he was sorely behind in.

At the same time, he was getting closer to the Jones family, or rather just Sarah, mostly.

"Are you ready to go?" Sarah asked, tilting her head to the side slightly as she watched him finish the last of the sweeping.

Harry nodded, and gathered up his supplies to stow away in the supply closet.

Though he enjoyed spending time with Sarah he did feel guilty at getting so close to her. His guilt was mostly because he was hiding a lot from her. She had no idea that 'Orion' was not actually his real name, nor did she have any idea about his past, most of which was still a blur to him anyway.

He was also guilty, however, because he knew he was getting far too close to Sarah and he simply knew that was wrong. He wasn't sure why, but he thought there may have been another girl in his life once, one he had possibly even loved. For some reason, a vision of a red haired girl kept flashing into his mind. He had no idea who she was. His memories of her had been wiped out completely, yet he still felt some connection to her, thus the guilt with Sarah.

Harry left with Sarah then, pushing his thoughts away. As the pair walked down the street, their hand entwined, Harry couldn't help but think that maybe he didn't mind this new life. It was much more peaceful. He knew that much.

* * *

It was one of those rare days when there was nothing to actually be done, so Sirius and Ginny were permitted to go out searching again. This searching had long been a fruitless endeavour, but neither of them minded getting away from the chaos that was always at Grimmauld Place lately.

Since the meeting, four days previously, there had been a lot of constant traffic going through the house. Almost everyone who had been at the meeting had agreed to actually join up officially and become part of the rebellion. Now the major planning was taking place, between all the smaller groups, which had been created by Dumbledore after everyone had signed up. After nearly half a year of just planning, the Ministry was finally going to be overthrown. Their revolution was due to take place in less than a month.

Still, Harry wasn't around to help, so Sirius and Ginny were out looking for him, with what limited free time they had.

The snow on the ground didn't bother them as much as where they had chosen to search; Godric's Hallow. Sirius was bitter to be here again, at the place where his life had been permanently disfigured. They were avoiding the wizarding section of it, where Ginny knew she would find the destroyed Potter house. She and her family had visited the place when she was younger, before she had started attending Hogwarts. Harry Potter had been her hero when she was much younger. It was strange to think about how things changed over the years.

Ginny glanced around warily at the few other people wandering the streets, but didn't pay too much attention to them. They were likely muggles, after all, not wizards. They wouldn't pose much of a threat. Besides that, she didn't really think Harry would just be wandering the streets.

Then, she felt someone's eyes on her.

Looking up, her breath caught in her throat and she stopped right in her tracks. Staring at her, from across the street, was Harry. His hair was longer and he looked healthier than she had seen him in a long while, as if he were actually taking care of himself. What shocked her most, however, was the girl that was at his side. They were holding hands and she was chattering away happily, not even noticing Harry's lack of attention.

"Ginny?" Sirius paused as he noticed her stop.

"It's Harry," Ginny informed him, still staring at Harry, who had lowered his head and turned his attention back to the girl at his side.

Sirius froze at those simple words. His eyes widened in shock at the implication that they may have actually found Harry. They had been searching for him for so long...

Eagerly, Sirius turned and looked in the direction in which Ginny was still staring. He caught sight of Harry instantly and for a moment both he and Ginny continued watching Harry and the girl, their eyes feasting on the sight of the boy they hadn't seen in so long. Then, at the same time, Sirius and Ginny both headed forward, crossing the street as they headed in Harry's direction.

Harry glanced in their direction again and his face instantly turned wary at the sight of them walking toward him. He picked up the pace of his walking, taking the oblivious girl with him.

Desperate, Sirius called out, "Harry!"

Harry glanced back again, and this time, the girl did as well, her expression a mixture of curiosity and confusion. Harry turned to her, said something which Sirius and Ginny couldn't hear from their distance, then pulled the girl into a nearby alley and disappearing from their sight.

When Sirius and Ginny entered the alley, they found Harry and the girl were gone, despite the dead-end which the alley created. The footprints left by him and the girl simply disappeared.

"They must have apparated," Ginny stated dully, but looking frustrated.

"He shouldn't even know how to apparate," Sirius retorted, staring at the ended trail of footprints. "I never taught him. Maybe the girl, though…" He trailed off, casting a wary glance at Ginny.

Ginny simply kicked at the snow in response, causing it to splatter up against the nearby building. Whoever this girl was, obviously Harry wanted to spend his time with her rather than his own godfather and girlfriend...or whatever she was to him now.

* * *

"What was that?" Sarah shrieked, pulling away from Harry and stumbling backwards.

Harry flinched as she stared at him in alarm.

"And how did we get back here?" Sarah demanded, noticing that they were back inside the darkened store.

Harry grimaced. "It was called apparation," he muttered.

Sarah stared at him. "What?"

"Apparation. It's a form of travel," he informed her.

"A form of..." Sarah repeated, then yelled, "You just took us from some alley all the way back here! That shouldn't even be possible! How...how?" she gasped out.

Harry bit his lip. Could he risk telling her? Would she believe him or would it ruin everything between them?

"It's hard to explain," he finally told her.

She glared at him. "Well then why don't you tell me why you did it instead? Who were those people? And why did they call you by the wrong name?"

Harry sighed. There was no keeping this from her anymore. She knew too much; because of those two people that he only faintly recognised as people from his old life. He had no idea their names, but he clearly knew the girl. She was the one who kept appearing in his thoughts. And the man...Harry thought he should know him.

"Orion," Sarah's demanding voice caught his attention again. He obligingly looked up and then replied.

"Okay, I'll tell you. It will take a long time, and you won't be able to tell anyone. And..." Harry hesitated, "afterward, if you want me to, I'll leave and never come back."

Sarah looked concerned at what that might imply, but then she nodded and led the way through the darkened store and up the stairs to the living quarters.

"They'll kill me if they knew I took you in here," Sarah whispered as she entered her bedroom. Harry entered hesitantly after her. It wouldn't be her they killed if they found him in her bedroom. It would be him.

'Okay, they might not _kill_ me,' Harry thought, 'But they'll probably do enough to put me in a hospital for several months.'

Sarah took a seat on her bed and Harry sat down in the chair at her desk, pushing aside several books, which were perched lopsidedly on it.

As Sarah turned her expectant eyes on to Harry, he looked down at the floor.

"First of all," he started softly, "my name isn't exactly Orion..."

* * *

**A/N - Kudos to Revina-O-Aclarr, who guessed nearly exactly what was going to happen in this chapter. Hopefully my writing isn't that predictable all the time, though. Constructive criticism is appreciated and inspiring. Oh, and just to inform you; I have another Harry Potter fic up. It's just a oneshot, titled _After It All. _It'd be great if you would go check it out. **


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize as part of Harry Potter canon, likely comes from Harry Potter canon, and thus doesn't belong to me.**

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N - What more can I say than...Oops? I might add, though, that the chapter was already written within a couple days of the last chapter being posted; it's the editing part that always takes the longest. On that note, the next chapter is already written, it just needs editing to be done, so who knows how long it will be until it's posted up. All well, you can at least enjoy this one for now.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Hi, Ginny. You look irritated," a voice, which was far too perky in contrast to Ginny's bad mood, greeted as Ginny entered the room, shrugging off her coat as she did so.

Ginny scowled at Dora, who was lounging on the couch, her feet propped up on a pillow.

"Remus get sick of you and ditch you here or something?" Ginny retorted, draping her coat over the back of the closest chair.

Dora half smiled. "Ah, so you _are_ irritated. What happened?"

Ginny sat down on the other couch, folding her arms tightly. "We found Harry,"

Dora immediately sat up; staring wide eyed at her. "You found him? Then, is he here?" she looked around the room as if he might walk in. "Where's Sirius?"

Ginny shrugged. "Probably informing Dumbledore about our discovery. And no, we don't actually have him. We only saw him today,"

"Where is he at?" Dora asked, settling back again.

Ginny scowled again. "He was wandering the streets of Godric's Hallow. With a _girl_,"

Dora paused. "Ah,"

Ginny sighed. "They were holding hands, Dora. I think...I think he might have forgotten about me,"

Dora made a non-committal noise, though she gave Ginny a sympathetic look. Ginny didn't quite know how to take that, but settled on mildly annoyed.

"What happened next?" Dora asked, moving the topic along.

Ginny shifted. "We called out to him and he ran away. He apparated, taking _her_ with him,"

"I see," Dora replied, frowning thoughtfully.

Ginny leaned back into the sofa. The door to the room opened and admitted Sirius, causing Dora and Ginny to look over at him. He paused under their gaze.

"Dora! What a surprise! Where's your werewolf?" Sirius asked, his voice light and cheery.

Ginny glared at him, though she knew she shouldn't. He was just happy they had some progress with searching for Harry. She was happy as well. However, the only reason she was sticking around was because of Harry. If he didn't want her anymore, she'd gladly leave. She hated being cooped up in Grimmauld Place, and was also starting to miss her home at the Burrow.

"Hogwarts," Dora replied, her expression turning sombre. Ginny looked up, drawn out of her thoughts.

"Hogwarts?"

Sirius came to stand behind Ginny's sofa. He leaned against the back of it casually.

Dora nodded. "Madam Pomfrey wanted him to go to Hogwarts so she could check on his injured arm. It's been troubling him more and more lately,"

Sirius blinked in surprise at the sudden reminder that Remus was slowly dying. "Oh. Right,"

Dora looked away from them, rubbing at her swollen belly lightly. They could easily tell that her mind was on the unborn baby. How could she possibly raise a child without Remus around to help out?

"We'll always be around to help, you know. No matter what happens," Sirius told her, his voice unusually serious.

Dora looked over at him, her eyes glistening with tears. "Thank you, Sirius," she murmured softly.

* * *

For a long time after Harry finished speaking, the room was silent. Harry just sat, waiting for Sarah's reaction. Sarah, however, didn't seem to know how to react to Harry's story. Harry looked up impatiently at Sarah from behind his fringe, but Sarah was studying the floor, looking thoughtful.

At long last, she spoke, "So you're saying...there is magic?"

"Yes,"

"And you're a wizard?"

"Yes,"

"But you're sort of infamous at the moment, so you're hiding here?"

"Yes,"

"And you're _the_ Harry Potter that disappeared from here so many years ago?"

Harry paused. Not having told her his last name at all, he didn't think she would have come up with that conclusion. Or rather, he had hoped that she wouldn't figure it out.

"Yes," he admitted.

Sarah nodded, looking pensive. Finally, she said, "But you still haven't told me who those people were,"

Harry sighed. "Truthfully, I don't know. Before I came here, I was in this place...it made me forget all of my happy memories, and the people that went with them,"

Sarah looked over at him sharply. "Then they were people who you must have had good memories with. Why did you run away?"

Harry grimaced. "I've put my past behind me, Sarah. I don't want it coming back to haunt me. Even the good parts. I've experienced enough to know that with all good things come bad things,"

Sarah stared at him for a long moment. "Okay. I might be able to understand that," she finally replied.

Harry nodded at her gratefully. He glanced at the clock in Sarah's room and found that it was past midnight. "I really should be getting home,"

Sarah glanced at the clock as well and nodded. "I'll walk you out,"

Together, they stood and exited Sarah's bedroom. They made sure to be absolutely quiet as they passed the bedrooms of the other occupants of the house, then went down the stairs. Sarah pulled open the door and Harry made to exit, but Sarah grabbed his arm. He looked back at her.

"You are coming back tomorrow, right?" Sarah asked, meeting Harry's eyes.

"Do you want me to?"

For a moment, Sarah hesitated, and then she stretched up on her toes and placed a chaste kiss on Harry's cheek. "I'll make your life happy again, Harry,"

Harry tensed up, but she just stepped away and disappeared up the stairs, leaving Harry alone in the doorway, staring after her in surprise.

* * *

"We'll assume the girl he was with is a witch, since Potter apparated with her, so we'll start with the wizarding district of Godric's Hallow. After that is complete, we'll start searching the hotels and apartments of the muggle district. Black will lead a group himself, searching using his unique talents," Moody said, pointing to a map of Godric's Hallow as he spoke. The crowd of twenty of so volunteers listened raptly to his plan. All of them were part of the rebellion, which had temporarily been delayed at this unexpected turn. They all agreed on at least one thing – finding Harry was more important than taking down the corrupt Ministry.

"Wait," interjected Rachelle, "if he's on the run, why would he be staying in a hotel or apartment?"

Sirius answered from his place at the back of the room. "He was close enough with that girl that he had obviously spent some time with her. If he's comfortable socialising, then he's probably living somewhere nearby. Also, he was wearing new clothes, which tells us he is either earning money or stealing, the second of which I highly doubt. Muggles aren't searching for him, so he could find shelter among them, easily enough,"

"But I thought this girl was a witch? Wouldn't she recognise Harry? This is _Harry Potter _we're talking about. Even the youngest child in our world has heard of him," pointed out Katie Bell.

There was a pause in the conversation before Moody said, "It's only an assumption that she is a witch, not a guarantee. Plus, Potter could have placed a charm on her. He was in the company of the Dark Lord for a time,"

Sirius felt a lurch in his gut at the memory of Harry's supposed betrayal.

The meeting continued, plans for the searching being made, and Sirius leaned back against the wall, bored. He had been one of the people to help come up with the plan, and didn't need to hear it being told to the rest of the search party. He just wanted to go out and start searching again, now that they had closed in on the area where Harry would probably be found.

Remus walked up to Sirius then, Dora tailing behind. Sirius glanced over at them. Remus looked paler than normal. His arm was wrapped in a fresh bandage, which was just to hide the wound rather than protect it. Sirius was glad that Remus kept it covered up. His entire arm was blackened and shrivelled. Every time Sirius saw it, he felt a fresh wave of panic. It was a reminded that his best friend was dying. Sirius shook his head, clearing his mind, then turned his attention to the pair in front of him.

"You two aren't going out to search, are you?" Sirius asked, eyeing Dora's swollen belly.

She shook her head. "Nah, I'm retired from this kind of work, at the moment. I'll probably take a nap while you and the others go out and search,"

Sirius nodded, then turned to Remus, who, Sirius noted, looked concerned about something; but then again, Remus nearly always looked concerned there days.

Remus shook his head swiftly in answer to Sirius' question, but then glanced around the room cautiously.

"How do we know that he is even still in Godric's Hallow?" Remus whispered, "What if he left when he saw you?"

Sirius sighed. "We'll just have to hope that he didn't. I'd hate to have to start searching for him all over again,"

* * *

Harry stretched as he stood up from his seat in the classroom in which he took a few basic lessons at the local college. Picking up his satchel of schoolbooks, he made his way out of the classroom and through the building to the exit. Though other students surrounded him, he stopped to speak to none of them.

Glancing at his watch, he noted that he had a few extra minutes today. He would be able to get to his flat to drop of his stuff before getting to the Jones' to work.

Finding his usual place behind the building, in an alley, Harry shifted into bird form and took off into the sky, his pack in his talons. He mentally smirked as he saw a pair of locals pointing up at him in amazement.

When he had first arrived, he had been nervous at using his form too much, especially since the muggle news reported a story mentioning a new bird of prey moving into the area. It caused a lot of unnecessary attention to focus on him, at the time. However, people were mostly used to him now. There were always the few exceptions, though.

It only took moments to get to his flat, and as he landed on the roof, he noticed a trio of people standing at the base of the building. They were talking avidly with the manager of the building. Harry transformed back into his human form and peered over the edge at the people curiously. During his time staying there, he had met most of the people who were living in the building. They had potlucks every Saturday, in the grassy park behind the building. Free food was free food, so Harry attended regularly.

These three people, however, were strangers. Studying them, he thought they might just be people who would be moving in, but then he noticed something that changed his opinion of them really quickly. Sticking out of the back pocket of one of the younger looking females was a slender stick that Harry recognised as a wand. They were wizards.

Backing away from the edge of the roof, Harry frowned, considering what to do. In all likeliness, they were here, searching for him. He couldn't recall if they were on the good side or not. Either way, he did not want to meet with them.

Stooping down, Harry picked up his pack and put it right inside the door leading to the stairs down to the top floor. It would be safe from rain there, at least. He wasn't too worried about thieves either. The bag only had schoolbooks in it.

Transforming back into a bird, Harry took flight, avoiding flying over the top of the three wizards, just in case they might recognise his form. He headed toward the store, where he had his shift coming up soon. At least work would put this out of his mind for a few hours.

Landing behind the building, Harry transformed back to his human self and entered through the rear door.

Henry was just coming down the stairs.

"Afternoon," he greeted.

Harry nodded back, his mind still preoccupied.

Together, they entered the store and got to work, joining Sarah, who gave Harry a sly smile in greeting.

* * *

**A/N - Next chapter includes : private investigators, a Cousin Louise, and a close miss or two. Reviews inspire me and make my day, even if I'm not great at actually replying to them. I read and treasure every one!**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Disclaimer: If you want a real disclaimer, see previous chapters.**

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N - Real life suddenly fell apart for me and I'm slowly trying to fit the pieces together again. Between my parents' divorce, trying to complete this year of high school with enough credits, and a lot of extra activities that have decided to cram themselves into my previously peaceful life, writing has been bumped down pretty low on my priorities list. No fear, though, because this story will continue. Before my life crashed I had written all of the chapters for this fic except the last two end chapters. I just have to edit them and post them up. It just might take a while. Be patient with me, please, and enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

Harry silently handed the coins back to the customer and pushed the bag across the counter, so the man could grab it, before nodding him out of the shop.

Seeing the shop was empty, besides Sarah, who was mopping the floor in preparation for the store closing for the night, Harry leaned back against the wall. His face was pensive as he stared out the large glass windows at the front of the shop. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of a fairly unusual scene. Two men were following a large black dog, which was sniffing its way in the shop's direction.

As they got closer, the dog's head lifted and he barked, looking intently at the shop.

Harry instinctively ducked behind the counter, hoping they hadn't already seen him.

"Orion?"

Sarah had seen him duck.

"Distract them," Harry hissed, just loud enough for her to hear. "Get them out of here,"

Sarah shot him a questioning look, but obliged, turning to watch as they all came toward the shop.

The door opened, setting off a bell tied to the door, and the two men entered. Harry peered over the top of the counter; careful to not let them see him. The dog had followed them in, surprisingly.

It was that fact that Sarah used. "No animals allowed. I'm going to have to ask you to leave," she informed them, leaning on her mop.

Both men turned to look at the dog.

"Sirius..." one of them muttered warningly.

Harry felt a jolt of familiarity at the name, but couldn't place who it belonged to. He figured that it was just another of those people from his past, who he now wanted nothing to do with.

The door opened again and the dog was none too gently shoved outside. He visibly pouted as he took a seat outside and watched through the window.

"We're looking for someone that we think may be around here. Have you seen this boy?"

Harry caught a brief glimpse of his own photo, taken a few years previously.

Sarah tilted her head, studying the photo. "You're not the police, are you?" As they shook their heads, she replied, " Then no. I can't say I have seen him. If that is all..."

"Maybe you've heard of him, then? His name is Harry Potter,"

Sarah smiled then. "Oh, everyone here has heard of Harry Potter," she said. "His parents are buried in the cemetery near the church. Very sad story. I'm sure anyone around here could tell it to you, if you asked."

"But you haven't seen him lately?"

"Is he supposed to have been here? The last time he was here was as a baby, as far as I know," Sarah told them.

Both men exchanged a wary glance. "And you're positive that you haven't met with him?"

Sarah shook her head, a slight smile coming over her face, "I promise I've never met with anyone I know as Harry Potter,"

"Thank you for your time," one of them murmured, sending Sarah a suspicious look, then they both left, only pausing to murmur a few words to the dog, who followed them away from the store, his tail drooping.

Once they were out of sight, Harry stood up. Sarah gave him a pointed look. "They're desperate to find you,"

"I know. I don't want to go back, though," Harry informed her, his fingers tightening on the edge of the counter as he steadied himself.

Sarah looked at him, considering. "Do you even know what you're missing? You can't remember them, you say. How do you know they aren't worth going back to?" she asked.

Harry frowned. "I don't. However, I don't think that going back to them would do anything for me. I'd not know them at all; I'd have to relearn everything about them. It would be very awkward and not at all what they want. I don't know how to be their Harry Potter any more."

Sarah studied him for a long moment before nodding slowly.

"What would you say to going to London for the weekend, strictly as Orion? I could probably convince Henry to let you off for a couple of days. Plus, I have a cousin there that I haven't seen in a while. We could stay with her while we wait for things to die down here," she suggested.

Harry smiled lightly at her. "Sarah, I could kiss you,"

Sarah just smiled pleasantly back at him. "Don't," she advised as Henry came walking in through the back entrance and gave them both suspicious looks.

* * *

"Any luck?" Dora asked as Sirius and Kingsley entered the room. Remus looked up and studied his friend's weary face.

"He's definitely been all over the village. We've found what we think is his flat, and he spends a lot of time at the college there as well," Kingsley answered.

Sirius scowled. "We also ran into the girl who was walking with him the other day, but she claims not to have met him, despite the fact that their scents are mixed together all over the place. They obviously spend a lot of time together,"

"We're going back to question her further immediately," Moody announced, as he entered the room.

"I'll go with you," Remus suggested, standing.

"Remus..." Dora murmured. Their eyes met for a long moment, and Remus nodded at her before heading toward the doorway.

Sirius followed the others back into the hall. Ginny was there, exchanging a few words with her brothers, Fred and George, who had seemingly been searching for her.

"Mum wants you home for dinner tonight, Ginny," Fred told her. "Remember your deal? Dinner at home at least twice a month? It's time."

Ginny looked at Sirius for help. He shrugged at her, "Go ahead with them, Ginny. I'll keep you informed if anything important happens,"

Ginny huffed in reluctance. Sirius understood. They were so close to finding Harry and she didn't want to miss it.

"Okay," Ginny finally agreed.

They followed the rest of the group outside. The three Weasleys apparated away first, heading for their home at the Burrow. Sirius, Remus, Kingsley, and Moody apparated to Godric's Hallow, in an alley close to the shop where they had found the girl earlier in the day.

The shop was closed for the day, but they simply walked around to the back entrance of the shop. Kingsley rang the bell on the door there and they waited.

After several moments, the door opened, revealing a young man.

"Can I help you?" he asked inquisitively.

"We're looking for a girl. She was in your shop earlier, probably working there," Kingsley said.

"Sarah? What do you want with her?" the man asked cautiously.

"May we come in? We believe she may be involved with a missing person that we are searching for," Remus asked politely.

The man looked troubled. "You don't look like the police,"

"We aren't. We're private investigators," Sirius stated.

The man hesitated a moment longer, then pulled the door open, inviting them in. He led the way up the stairs and into a living area.

"Is Sarah around?" Kingsley asked once everyone was settled on the various chairs and sofas in the room.

"No, she's gone for the weekend," the man reported.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance and Sirius remembered Remus' earlier comment that Harry may have run for it.

"Is this boy with her?" Moody asked, showing the man a photo of Harry.

"Orion? He's the one your searching for?" the man asked, sounding surprised.

Sirius felt a jolt of surprise at the name Harry had chosen. Maybe he did remember him...

"His name is Harry Potter, actually," Kingsley revealed. "What do you know about him?"

The man looked pensive. "We caught him stealing from the shop a while ago, actually. A couple of months, maybe? We discovered he had been living on the streets, so we hired him to help out. He needed some money, and we needed some help. It all worked out. He got himself a flat and starting attending the college. He's been spending a lot of time with Sarah," he paused, "He's not dangerous, is he?"

The four men hesitated just a moment. Could Harry be considered dangerous? He had been in Voldemort's service for a while, and his mind was obviously affected by Azkaban.

"He wouldn't hurt Sarah," Sirius concluded hesitantly.

The man looked relieved.

"May I ask where he and Sarah are spending the weekend?"

The man hesitated. "Why are you looking for him?"

Sirius paused. "He's my godson. He ran away from home, and we've been searching for him for a while," he gave him a partial truth. No need to let him know that they had broke Harry out of jail.

The man still looked unsure. "He'll be back on Monday. Perhaps you can come back then? If he ran away..."

Sirius sighed. At least they knew Harry was around, and they could get him back.

"Okay," he agreed, though reluctantly.

* * *

"Sarah! Oh, it's been forever since I last saw you,"

Harry stood behind Sarah as the door was opened and Sarah's cousin greeted her.

"And you must be Orion. Sarah's told me so much about you," the woman gushed, pulling Harry into a hug. Sarah smiled slightly at the decidedly disgruntled expression on Harry's face.

"Orion, this is my cousin, Louise," Sarah introduced.

Harry didn't get the chance to say anything in reply as Louise pulled them into the house and closed the door behind them.

"I've prepared a couple of rooms for the pair of you," Louise informed them. "They're the first two on the right, if you want to go put your stuff down."

"Thank you, Louise," Sarah said with a smile, then pulled Harry up the stairs.

"You can have this first room," Sarah said, pushing open the door to reveal a room painted in shades of green, then continued down the hall to enter the next room.

Harry set his pack down on the desk and glanced around. The room contained a bed, the desk his pack was on, a wardrobe, and a few photos. Harry studied them. Louise was featured in most of them, with a dark haired man he presumed was her husband, and a small child. They all looked as happy as could be.

"Are you ready?"

Harry turned to see Sarah standing in the open doorway.

"Yes," he replied. He left the room with her and they went back down the stairs together.

Sarah led the way to the kitchen, where Louise was making tea. The same child who was featured in several of the photos in Harry's room was sitting on the floor, playing with some blocks.

Sarah reached down and scooped the child into her arms. He squealed in delight as he flew through the air for a moment, then settled into Sarah's arms.

Sarah cooed at the child for a moment, then turned to Harry.

"This is Brody," she announced, smiling lightly.

"Emmett should be home within the hour," Louise said from the stove, where the kettle was whistling.

Sarah settled down at the table, playing with Brody and talking with Louise in cheerful tones.

Harry leaned against the counter, just taking in the scene silently.

He felt a sudden pang in his chest. He missed his own family, though he didn't even know who they were any more, only slight feelings of what they might be like. He thought that being with them might be something like how it was with Louise and Sarah, though.

For once, he almost wished to go back to his old life.

Half a block away, Sirius was sitting at the table in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, all alone. He stared down into his now cold tea and wished, wistfully, of his old life with Harry as well.

* * *

**A/N - Comments? Suggestions? Review!**


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Disclaimer: See previous chapters.**

**The Innocents' Revenge**

**Chapter Fifteen**

Harry and Sarah walked hand in hand down the street. Louise, pushing Brody in a pram, walked beside them, chattering away about one of her cousins' wedding. Sarah seemed to understand Louise's subtle jokes about the event, but Harry didn't, having no idea who the person was, so he stayed silent, content just to be in Sarah's presence.

They were in a busier part of London, for the day, and Harry kept his head lowered, not wanting to be spotted by someone who might recognize him. There was bound to be someone around who had seen his picture broadcast around when he had escaped Azkaban for the first time.

Though, Harry had to admit as he caught a glimpse of his reflection in a window, he didn't look anything like what he had then. He had definitely changed since then, in more than just physical looks.

"Potter?"

Harry turned at the incredulous voice, and at his side, Sarah paused as well, tilting her head to stare at the person who had spoken. Louise, likewise, stopped, halting her story.

Sitting at a nearby table outside of a café was a person that Harry did, for once, recognize from his past. He had never thought, however, that he would ever see this particular person ever again.

"Dudley?"

For a long moment, they simply stared at each other. The girl sitting across the table from Dudley watched their interactions, surprised. Dudley turned to scrutinize Harry's companions, as if looking for something wrong with them.

Dudley's eyes then flickered back to Harry's face. "I thought you were in prison,"

Harry winced at the bluntness of it. He heard Louise gasp lightly and heard Sarah murmur softly, "A place that makes you forget your happy memories..."

Harry turned to look at Sarah and Louise. Both were looking at him with cautious expressions, as if they didn't know quite what to think.

"What did you do?" Sarah asked hesitantly.

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but then paused. He didn't really want to tell her the truth, did he?

"He murdered his best friend," Dudley informed them from behind Harry's back.

Harry tensed up, remembering the reason for his going to Azkaban in the first place.

Louise pulled Sarah away from Harry then, shielding her behind her back.

"And you said you loved him," Louise muttered to Sarah, obviously not caring that Harry could hear her.

Harry's eyes widened. She had said that?

"Love him? Who could love him? He's just a freak!" Dudley repeated, shock and obvious disbelief lacing his voice.

The girl sitting across from him sent a reproachful look Dudley's way, "What a horrible thing to say,"

"It's true, though," Dudley remarked.

Harry turned toward his cousin, a glare firmly in place on his face. Again, Dudley was in the way, ruining his life. Harry wanted revenge, and now, he was able to give it.

Harry felt something rear up inside him that he hadn't felt for a long time, not since he had been working under Voldemort's command. It was anger strong enough to allow him to kill.

Dudley quelled under Harry's fierce expression, his eyes widening in fear.

Harry didn't hesitate to draw his wand, not even caring that he was in the middle of muggle London. In a matter of seconds, Dudley was screaming under Harry's cruciatus curse as Harry sought for revenge on the boy who had made his life miserable. Cries rang out from those muggles around him as she saw the magic and the effects it had. Dudley's companion screamed in horror and stumbled backwards, her eyes wide as she watched Dudley.

"Orion, stop!"

The cry from Sarah made Harry pause, breaking the curse. He turned to look at Sarah and saw the fear and disbelief displayed plainly on her face.

Suddenly, his anger melted away and he was filled with guilt. Without a word, he turned and fled, running down the street, away from Dudley, Sarah, Louise, and the other muggles who had seen him torture his cousin.

Entering an alley, Harry apparated directly back into his flat in Godric's Hallow. He leaned back against the wall, silently cursing himself. He had once again royally messed things up for himself.

Closing his eyes, Harry saw Sarah's fear filled face, watching him in horror as he tortured Dudley.

Silent tears of remorse streamed down his face as he sank to the floor, his face in his hands. How could he possibly live with himself now? And worse, how could others live with him?

* * *

Sirius stood, once again, outside of the Jones' Grocery Shop, this time with Ginny and Kingsley at his side.

They were all very much aware that this was the day that they had been waiting for. Today, they would bring Harry home.

"Ready?" Kingsley asked, looking sideways at his two companions.

Sirius gave a short nod, looking anxious.

"Yes," Ginny replied, her eyes on the windows above the shop.

Sirius then led the way into the shop. A bell on the door alerted the clerk to their entrance. It was the girl, Sarah, who they knew to be Harry's companion while he had been in Godric's Hallow. Ginny scowled at her.

Sirius stepped up to the counter. "We were informed that you know where Harry Potter is, though you might know him as Orion,"

Sarah slowly looked up at him and Sirius drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes were red rimmed and her face tear stained.

"I don't," she replied.

"He's not here?" Kingsley asked.

"No. I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon," she told them in a dull voice.

Sirius stiffened. "What happened to him?"

Sarah lowered her eyes the counter. Her voice was soft as she asked, "Are you searching for him because he escaped from prison?"

There was a long pause. Ginny considered Sarah. She had obviously found out some of Harry's secrets.

"What do you know?" Kingsley insisted.

Sarah frowned, her eyes focused on the counter. "Evidently not as much as I thought I did," she replied bitterly.

Sirius and Ginny exchanged a wary glance.

Sarah straightened up all of a sudden. She grabbed a scrap of paper and a pen from off the shelf behind her and scribbled down something. "Here, this is his address. You might find him there. I don't know, though. He disappeared after yesterday's incident,"

"What happened yesterday?" Kingsley asked curiously.

Sarah looked up to meet their eyes. "We ran into some boy who obviously knew him. The boy informed me, none too kindly, that Harry had been in prison for murdering his best friend. Harry then turned and..."

"What did he do?" Sirius asked softly, dreading the answer.

"He made the boy scream by casting some spell on him. He ran away after that," Sarah replied, her voice barely audible.

Sirius drew in a sharp breath of surprise. So Harry had tortured this person, whoever he was, and then fled. It was no wonder why Sarah was so upset.

Kingsley took the paper with Harry's address on it, though they already knew where he was staying.

"If he shows up again - "

"He won't,"

They all turned to see another man, the one they had spoken to Friday evening, standing there. "He is not allowed here any more. We've called the police on him,"

"Right. Well, thanks for your time," Sirius said abruptly. If the muggle police were going after Harry, they had to get to him first, or they could lose him forever.

Sirius quickly ushered the other two out of the shop while Sarah and Henry looked on without real interest.

As soon as they were out of the shop, Sirius led the way to a nearby alley and apparated to the building where Harry had been staying, Kingsley and Ginny following his lead.

They entered and made their way to the flat number that Sarah had given them on that little scrap of paper.

Kingsley knocked once on the door, but there was no response.

Exchanging a glance with Sirius, Kingsley tried the door. It was, surprisingly, unlocked.

Pushing the door open, the three just gaped at the sight they beheld.

The flat was ransacked. Chairs overturned, cupboards thrown open, several unwashed dishes were in the sink, and several muggle contraptions looked thoroughly torn apart.

"Harry?" Sirius called out, entering the apartment warily. They searched through all the rooms and discovered that Harry was nowhere to be found.

Meeting again in the main room, Kingsley asked, "Well, what do you think of it?"

Sirius, staring at the damage to one of the chairs, remembered something from his memory of being on the run. Their first night out of Azkaban, aurors had burst in on Remus' house, where he and Harry had been hiding out. They had left it, Sirius recalled, in a similar state to this. Remus had blamed him for it afterwards.

"The muggle police must have him," he stated dully. Things had just got a lot more complicated.

* * *

Several miles away, over the darkening forest land, a great bird with a pack clutched in its talons soared over the treetops in no great hurry. It had, after all, no place left to go.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Disclaimer : See previous chapters.**

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N - Parts of this chapter are copied with slight modifications from the various Harry Potter books and also from the prequel, _The Brotherhood._ The chapter itself may be a bit confusing, though I tried to write it in a way that it makes sense. If you have any questions, ask.**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

Harry paused briefly as his vision blurred. As he paused, he quickly lost altitude. Flapping to keep himself in the air, Harry blinked his eyes, and they cleared, but he felt dizzy.

Wondering if a bird was even able to feel dizzy, Harry allowed himself to spiral toward the ground. If he kept flying any longer, he might just fall out of the sky, and that would definitely ruin his day.

Landing on a log in a meadow, Harry transformed back into his human self. He froze as it made him even dizzier. Lowering himself so he was sitting on the ground, Harry closed his eyes. He ached all over, his head pounded with a headache, and he was increasingly tired. He could tell he was coming down with some illness, and had been for quite some time.

Harry knew this was a bad thing. For one, he was a wanted criminal; he couldn't just go seeking medical treatment. For two, he had no idea where he was, and he knew he wouldn't be able to make it to the nearest village. For three, well, being ill in itself was a bad thing.

Feeling his stomach suddenly act up, Harry wrapped his arms around himself, in hopes of calming his nauseous stomach. It almost worked.

"I need shelter," Harry muttered to himself. He stumbled to his feet and headed toward the tree line. Maybe he could find another nest like the one near Godric's Hallow...

He only made it to the first tree before the contents of his stomach, though admitted not much, came back up.

Groaning, Harry slumped against a different tree and closed his eyes. He wished he was back in Godric's Hallow, with Sarah. Unfortunately, she now likely hated him. He couldn't possibly go back there.

"Maybe this is a good thing. I'll just die here in the forest, and nobody will think anything of it," he told himself dully.

Moaning lightly as his head throbbed, Harry allowed himself to sink into unconsciousness.

_**Harry was at the side of a young red haired girl. He was suddenly conscious that he was holding a book of sorts in his hand and that there was a dead basilisk nearby. The girl started to cry.**_

_**"Harry — oh, Harry — I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy — it was me, Harry — but I — I s-swear I d-didn't mean to — R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over — and — how did you kill that — that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary —"**_

_**Harry was confused, but then he was speaking, "It's all right," he held up the book and showed her the hole where he knew he had stabbed a basilisk fang through it, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here - "**_

_**The girl, Ginny, he surmised, was still sobbing, but he helped her up and they started heading to the entrance of the Chamber. Ginny said something about being expelled but he was lost. What was going on? **_

Suddenly, he wasn't there any more. He felt himself lying in a bed, and he hurt all over. He didn't even try to move as his aching prevented it. Though he tried, he couldn't seem to open his eyes.

"The poor boy. I don't know who he is, but he's awfully sick," a stranger's voice said.

"You did the right thing, bringing him here. I'll take care of him," a different person said.

Harry tried to speak, to ask what was going on. He found himself unable. The strangers' voices faded away then.

_**"James!" **_

_**Harry looked over at who was speaking now. It was a man in a cell. Harry mentally drew in a sharp breath. He was in a cell as well. He knew this place...this was Azkaban. **_

_**"No, he's dead. It can't be..." the man rambled.**_

_**Harry met the man's eyes. He felt a tug of familiarity. Who was the man?**_

_**"Harry?"**_

_**Harry felt himself nod.**_

_**"Harry! I'm Sirius. Your Godfather!"**_

_**Godfather? Harry reeled with the shock. **_

_**"What?" again, he unconsciously spoke, unable to stop himself.**_

_**"Sirius Black. Your Godfather. I knew your father! We were best friends, along with Moony," the man was trying to explain himself.**_

_**Harry knew all that already...didn't he? "I don't..."**_

_**"What are you doing in here?" the man, Sirius, asked.**_

_**Harry thought that was a very good question. Instead, he unwillingly said, "Why are you here?"**_

_**The man shrank back into the shadows, not replying. **_

Harry felt himself slipping into darkness, and then he was no longer in the cell, he was in the bed. He could sense someone nearby, and there was a cool rag on his forehead. It felt nice. Still, though, he couldn't move. Straining himself, he managed to twitch a finger, but whoever was there didn't seem to notice. Everything faded again.

_**It was bright, unlike the most recent scenes, and Harry winced at the bright light that filled what seemed to be a train compartment. The door opened and there stood a red haired boy. **_

_**"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, then sat down without waiting for a reply. "Everywhere else is full."**_

_**Harry felt himself shake his head.**_

_**"Hey, Ron,"**_

_**Two older boys, twins by the looks of it, were now standing in the doorway.**_

_**"Listen, we're going down to the middle of the train - Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."**_

_**"Right," the boy - Ron had they called him? - mumbled.**_

_**"Harry, did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then,"**_

_**Harry felt that he had met them and this Ron person before already. How could he not remember the Weasleys?**_

Harry was ripped from the brightness and was again hidden behind his closed eyes.

"No, he's not getting any better. I don't know what's wrong with him," the same stranger was saying.

"Maybe you should take him to a hospital," another voice said in a low tone.

"No, he'll recover eventually,"

_**Harry was standing in a bathroom. At his side was a girl with bushy hair. She was looking up at something, frightened. Looking up, Harry mentally gaped at the troll that was standing there. Harry tried to pull the girl up, saying, "Come on, run, run!" but she didn't move.**_

_**The troll started moving towards someone that Harry recognised as Ron Weasley.**_

_**Harry then did something that he felt was very stupid. He took a running leap and jumped up on the troll's back, gripping its neck. The troll flailed, trying to get him off and trying to hit with a club. Harry instinctively knew that he wouldn't be hurt. The troll would go down.**_

_**Sure enough, there was a cry of "Wingardium Leviosa!" and the troll was hit with it's own club, falling to the ground.**_

_**Harry stood up and looked toward the girl who spoke, "Is it - dead?"**_

_**He suddenly remembered her name - Hermione. **_

A woman was humming, somewhere in the room that he was laying in. It was infuriating not being able to move, or react to anything. He felt something being poured down his throat and he swallowed it instinctively. It tasted bitter, but not like a potion. More like muggle medicine...

_**He was in a shack now. Sitting across from him, on the floor, was a man he recognised. Sirius Black, his Godfather.**_

_**"Harry," Sirius said, looking up from his food.**_

_**"What?" Harry asked.**_

_**"Do you know what day today is?"**_

_**Harry felt a wave of deja vu sweep over him as he opened his mouth to reply and knew, this time, exactly what would come out. "Uh, Monday maybe?"**_

_**"Well, I don't know if it's Monday or not, but I meant the date, Harry. What's the date?"**_

_**Harry knew already. It was his birthday, but he was forced to shake his head and say, "No idea."**_

_**"It's July 31st, Harry," Sirius informed him.**_

_**"Oh," Harry paused. "Oh!"**_

_**Sirius smiled and held out a wrapped parcel towards Harry, "Happy birthday, Harry," **_

Harry knew that the memory, for that was what it had to be, had ended now and he longed for it to return. He felt a painful ache for Sirius, now remembering just who he was.

_**He was in an office now. Behind the desk was a woman. Harry strained for her name.**_

_**"So you're it then, the Trio of Traitors?"**_

_**"Is that what they call us now?"**_

_**Harry realised that Ginny was at his side. She was Ron's little sister...what was she doing here?**_

_**"Of course it's us, cousin. Who else would break into the Ministry with only a glamour charm or two for protection?"**_

_**Harry noted that Sirius was there as well.**_

_**"Only you, obviously. I wasn't expecting you here. I thought you'd come to my home," the woman said.**_

_**"Seeing as I have no idea where you live, that was a problem," Sirius replied.**_

_**"Remus could've told you. He knows," the woman said.**_

_**Harry tuned out the conversation, his mind moving at full pace. Remus? Ah! This was Dora!**_

_**Harry was broken out of his thoughts when he said, "That would explain those 'previous connections' he mentioned,"**_

**_"Previous connections? That's it? I'm going to have to have a word with that man," Dora said._ **

Harry wondered how Dora and Remus were doing now as the memory faded.

"He's getting better. I reckon he might wake up soon!" the same voice he had been hearing a lot lately was saying.

"Is that so? It's been quite a long time. Are you sure he isn't in a coma?"

"He has a fever. Tell me, is that a normal symptom of being in a coma? Plus, he thrashes in his sleep. I'm the nurse here. I know what I'm doing!" Her voice faded into insignificance and Harry eagerly awaited the next memory.

_**Harry found himself in a dark cell and for a second, he thought he was back in Azkaban, but then a familiar voice spoke, "What are you going to do about it?"**_

_**"I don't know. I think...I think I could use this to my advantage. I could get him to let you go if I accepted,"**_

_**Harry mentally flinched as he realised what memory this was. He had regretted making this decision ever since.**_

_**"You're actually considering this? Joining Voldemort? I thought you would never join him!" Ginny protested.**_

_**Harry stared at her, not even aware as words spilled out of his mouth. "I wouldn't really be working for him. I'd be working as a spy. I could bring him down from the inside, without his suspecting a thing,"**_

_**The conversation continued on, but Harry lost it, not even paying attention until the words, "Harry, I think I love you!" were spoken.**_

_**Harry blinked in surprise, but then he looked into his eyes and realised that he felt the same way, he had just forgotten. How was that possible?**_

_**"I...I love you too, Ginny. That's the reason I have to do this. It's for you, and my family. It's the best chance we'll have to defeat him."**_

_**Ginny was suddenly in his arms and he savoured the memory. He longed for the real thing, to see Ginny again.**_

**_"I can't live without you, Harry,"_ **

Harry silently cried out as the memory faded and he was immediately thrust into another one.

_**He was in a room, though he didn't know where, until he looked around. Sirius was sitting on a couch, holding what Harry instantly saw was a photo album. Remus stood nearby, looking hesitant.**_

_**Remus glanced at him for a moment, then stated, "I believe you,"**_

_**It all rushed back to him. This was where they gained Remus Lupin as an ally.**_

_**"You do? You believe me that easily?" Sirius asked.**_

_**Harry mentally smiled. He knew that Sirius hadn't been expecting that.**_

_**"I think I never really thought you were guilty...or at least, I had hoped," Remus told them.**_

_**Sirius jumped to his feet, exclaiming in joy. A knock on the door distracted Harry. He knew that it would be Ginny. Before he was able to see her, however, the memory faded.**_

"Come on now. It's time to wake up. You've been out long enough. You're nearly healthy," the woman's voice who he could tell was nursing him back to health was saying.

Harry disregarded her as he slipped into another memory.

Harry instantly recognised the memory. He was sitting on a couch with Ginny, Dora, Remus, and Sirius all gathered around him. It was the first time he had seen them since he had become a death eater. He tuned out the conversation, not really caring, and just studied the four people before him. Ginny, with her bright smile and long red hair, Remus in his ragged robes, Sirius, his eyes sparkling, and Dora, watching them all with a smile on her face. This was his family. Harry regretted ever leaving them, even if it was because he couldn't remember them. He wanted them back. He was determined to get them back, in fact.

Now all he had to do was figure out how to wake up...

* * *

**A/N - Reviews make me happy.**


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Disclaimer : **See previous chapters.

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N - This chapter is a bit shorter than normal, but hopefully it's still good. On an entirely different note, yesterday was my last day of school, so today I went ahead and spent all day writing. I got to slightly over 10,000 words before I crashed. Typically, none of it was on this story. Good thing I already had this chapter all ready to go and just had to type up a few last edits for it to be ready for posting. Happy reading!**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen **

"An owl came for you last night,"

"From who?" Ginny asked her mum.

"I didn't open it. It's by your plate,"

Ginny slumped down into her usual seat at the table and grabbed a piece of toast before turning her attention to the letter. She recognised Remus' handwriting immediately as she scanned the contents. As she reached the bottom of the note, she stood up abruptly.

"Ginny?" Molly asked, bemused at her daughter's behaviour.

"I have to go," Ginny answered, slipping out the door. She heard her mum call out, "But you haven't even had breakfast!" but ignored her.

Reaching the apparation point, Ginny apparated direction to Hogsmeade. Hurrying towards Hogwarts, Ginny wondered why Dora would go to Hogwarts rather than St. Mungo's, but then disregarded it as unimportant.

As she reached the gate, which was securely locked, Ginny came to a stop beside Sirius, who was waiting there.

"I've already sent a patronus. Someone should be down in a moment," Sirius informed her. He was bouncing slightly as he spoke and Ginny could clearly see he was nervous.

Sure enough, a few moments later, Minerva McGonagall was spotted walking down the slope toward the gate. She pulled out her wand and opened it for them, then together they started back up to the castle.

"Is everything going okay?" Sirius asked.

Minerva smiled tightly. "I believe it was nearly over, as I was leaving. I fully expect there to be a new child in this world by the time we get back up there,"

They continued the rest of the way in silence, and indeed, when they found themselves outside the hospital wing, they could clearly hear a baby crying.

Pushing open the door, Ginny was the first to enter. Curtains shielded Dora's bed from sight, but Ginny could hear voices talking excitedly behind them.

"Ginny and Sirius are here," Minerva announced as they rounded the curtains.

Dora, looking thoroughly exhausted, was sitting up in bed, holding a small infant in her arms.

Remus was sitting nearby, watching his wife and son, clearly enraptured. Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore stood at the edge of the curtains, both silent.

Dora succeeded in quieting the infant and he was soon asleep in her arms. She passed him off to Remus who eagerly accepted the child. As he did so, the infant's hair turned from blond to brown.

"He has inherited Dora's abilities, evidently," Sirius stated, taking a seat next to Remus and leaning closer to look at the baby.

"Have you decided on a name, yet?" Ginny asked, peering over Remus' shoulder.

"Teddy Remus Lupin," announced Dora proudly.

"Sirius," Remus started, looking up at Sirius.

Sirius, his attention still on Teddy, replied, "Yeah?"

Remus glanced down at his son again, then back up at Sirius. "Would you be his Godfather?"

Sirius stopped mid-motion and tensed up, his expression turning dark.

"What did you just say?" Sirius asked through clenched teeth.

Remus and Dora exchanged a worried look. Dora tentatively asked, "You don't want to be Teddy's godfather?"

Sirius stood up, his anger showing clearly on his face. "No. Absolutely not. I refuse,"

"Sirius, what...?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide as she stared at Sirius. She had never seen him like this. He rarely lost his temper.

"I will not replace the godson I already have," Sirius said in a low voice.

There was a long silence in the room.

"You wouldn't be replacing him-" Remus started, but he was cut off as Sirius yelled at him.

"I would be! Just because you don't care about him any more! You have your own son to bother about! How long has it been since you've been out searching for Harry?"

"Sirius..."

"You haven't gone out since before your wedding! You obviously don't care for his well being! He could be in some muggle jail, or dying somewhere or something, but you don't care, you've just replaced him with your own son!"

Teddy started crying, as the yelling awoke him. Remus immediately handed him off to Dora and stood, facing Sirius.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Remus told Sirius. Ginny took a step back in alarm, clearly able to see the werewolf in him.

Sirius didn't back down at all. "Don't I?" Sirius asked. "You didn't bother to hold off on the wedding, thinking it was a hopeless cause, you didn't want to help set him free, and you gave up on you're part of the rebellion, within a week! Don't think I don't notice that you rarely even show up for meetings any more!"

"I've got a family to take care of, Sirius,"

"To replace Harry with, you mean?"

"I care for Harry as much as you do!"

"You don't show it very well," Sirius growled.

"Sirius, please," Dora pleaded, rocking Teddy in a desperate attempt to calm him.

Sirius turned on Dora then, "Oh yes, let's all cater to Teddy Lupin, the boy who will replace Harry! Who needs James' son when we have Remus' now?"

"Sirius!" McGonagall shouted at him, but Sirius paid her no heed.

"And it's not like Dora tried very hard to keep Harry from running away in the first place! It's her fault that he's gone!"

Sirius was abruptly cut off as a fist hit his face, coming from Remus.

It hit with such force that Sirius fell to the ground. He clutched his nose and glared up at Remus.

"Dora isn't to blame for Harry disappearing while he had the chance. He clearly saw you in Godric's Hallow. If he had wanted to come back, he would've come then, instead of going off with that Sarah girl. It's your fault that Harry is gone now. It's your fault that Harry joined the deatheaters and got himself in Azkaban for the second time. It's your fault that Harry is rejecting us all. Stop blaming your issues on other people, will you?"

Sirius slowly climbed to his feet, continually glaring at Remus.

"Now, get out, before I hex you," Remus growled.

Sirius, ignoring the pain of his clearly broken nose and the blood that was leaking from it, only paused to say one last thing before exiting.

"Fine. I will. See if I ever come back," Sirius replied, then stormed out of the hospital wing, leaving a silence that was only pierced by Teddy's cries.

* * *

"Well, hello there," greeted the woman with a familiar voice as Harry's eyes flickered open. He blinked at the light, though dim, that filled the room, and his eyes focused on the blurry shape that he guessed was the person who had greeted him.

"Here are your glasses," she said, slipping his glasses onto his face, allowing him to see her clearly.

"Thanks," Harry tried to say, but ended up coughing from a dry throat instead.

Silently, the woman handed him a glass of water, then helped him take a sip, through a straw.

Feeling slightly more able to speak, Harry peered up at the woman. "Who are you?"

She smiled lightly. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? After all, I'm not the one who managed to fall into a fevered illness for nearly two months and intruded on someone else' bed space,"

"Two months?" croaked Harry, his eyes wide. How had he managed that one?

"Two months," the woman confirmed. "Now, might I have a name?"

Harry drew a deep breath. "Orion. Orion Jameson," Might as keep his persona up.

"One more question, before I let you rest, yeah? How does a boy like you end up very ill in the middle of the woods, and there isn't even a hint of anything in the news about people searching for him?"

Harry paused, hadn't Sarah called the police? He knew they had raided his flat. He had watched it from the roof. Surely they would be searching for him...

"I dunno," he replied mildly.

"Well do you have any family I can contact?" she asked kindly.

Harry frowned, his memory now fully working. _Sirius, Remus, Dora, Ginny..._

"No,"

Muggle mail wouldn't reach them, after all. He would have to seek them out.

The woman gave him a suspicious look. "Okay. I'll allow that for now. Get some rest,"

Harry might have protested, but seeing as he could still barely move for weakness, he allowed himself to sink back into the darkness, hoping he didn't stay out for two months this time.

* * *

**A/N - Review?**


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Disclaimer : See previous chapters.**

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N - I'm going to have a super busy summer, with little time for actual writing, as can be seen by me leaving on a trip for a week the day after school gets out, then the day after I get home, a three day long camping trip, then, a couple days after that, a week and a half long family reunion...just bare with me, please. Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

"Your turn," Dora moaned as a baby's cry was heard in the other room.

Remus frowned but obligingly climbed out of bed, slipped on his robe, and padded across the hallway to Teddy's room. In a matter of seconds, Remus had the infant out of the crib and into his arms. He knew nothing was actually wrong with the young child. However, the full moon had been the previous night and though Teddy wasn't a werewolf, thank Merlin, he seemingly had inherited some of the symptoms, such as a relentless irritability whenever the moon was full. It seemed that the infant woke up every hour to fuss, which was abnormal from his usual routine. And, much to Dora's dismay, Teddy seemed to prefer Remus' attention during these periods. Remus said that he suspected it was the werewolf bond between the pair that did it.

As Remus cuddled Teddy, the child calmed and Remus let out a breath of relief as the cries quieted. His hearing was still quite sharp and Teddy's crying made his usual after full moon headache much worse.

Feeling abruptly dizzy, Remus leaned back against the wall of Teddy's room, hoping his headache would soon abate.

A stabbing pain from his injured hand started up and Remus shifted Teddy so that he could peer down at the injured arm.

The recent full moon had made his poisoned arm worse. It seemed sprouting fur and growing claws did not help his condition.

Making a mental note to visit Poppy in the morning, Remus glanced down at Teddy, hoping that he was falling asleep. Contrary to Remus' hopes, Teddy was quite content with being awake and in his father's arms. Indeed, his hair was deep blue, which they had come to realise meant Teddy was content.

Remus smiled down at his son. It definitely helped things along that Teddy could communicate, even in this unconventional way. Dora had informed him that Teddy was simply changing his hair according to his moods - it was an automatic thing. It had been the same way for her. She's hadn't been able to control her hair until she was around five years old.

Remus jumped as the stinging in his arm spread, and his vision went suddenly blurry.

Setting Teddy down on a nearby rocking chair, so as to not drop him, Remus reached out to the wall to steady himself. The wall, however, was not where he had thought it was, and he stumbled, falling without control.

He barely had time to cry out before his head connected with the wall and he blacked out.

* * *

"You can't possibly leave yet, though, Orion," the woman - Helen, she had told him to call her - protested.

"It's been a week. I'm fine," Harry retorted.

"Oh yes? What about yesterday's fit of dizziness, hmm? I don't think that qualifies as 'fine',"

Harry rolled his eyes, annoyed with the woman who had found him in the forest, unconscious, and taken him in for those two longs months while he had been ill. He was very grateful for her care, but thought it was a little over the top now. She reminded him of Madam Pomfrey and thought over protectiveness must be a common thing with healers or nurses.

"Oh let him go, Helen," a third voice suddenly joined in.

Harry looked around and saw another woman standing in the doorway, having just entered the house. It was Laura, Helen's sister.

"He's still ill," Helen insisted.

"You can't keep him here, though. He has a right to leave. Besides, he looks fine to me," Laura said, looking Harry over.

Harry gave Helen a pointed look, but she simply studied him. "Oh, but I've become so fond of you,"

"He's only been awake a total of forty-eight hours since you brought him here," Laura pointed out, but her sister ignored her.

"Where will you go?" Helen asked, looking at Harry in concern now. Harry was reminded that he had told her that he had no family she could contact for him and knew that she was probably worried he would just end up wandering the forest again.

Harry smiled lightly then, thinking of the family he hadn't properly seen in more than a year. He wouldn't be wandering the forest, or anywhere else, any more.

"Home," Harry replied lightly, his eyes brightening at the prospect.

* * *

Sirius glowered at the crowd of people in his living room, though he did nothing to stop them from being there. The day they were planning to take over the Ministry had come, and as everyone gathered, ready to get to their places, Sirius stood at the back of the group, just watching silently. He had his part of the rebellion, and he planned to participate, but he was not happy. He hadn't been, really, since he had run out on Remus. He hadn't had any contact from anyone since then, until people started showing up today. Unsurprisingly, Remus and Dora were not among them. Moody and Dumbledore were going through the plans, accommodating things to fill in for a few other people who were seemingly missing as well. Whether they had backed out, or something else, Sirius didn't know.

"Move out, people!" Moody called over the talking crowd.

The noise level grew as nearly everyone trooped outside. Sirius was the last one of the room. An auror turned to him and said, "I'll bring Bones to you,"

"I'll be waiting," Sirius replied dully.

He wouldn't actually be going to the Ministry at first, like the rest of the group. His job was to convince Amelia Bones that she needed to take over the Ministry, then deliver her back to the Ministry of Magic as soon as the Wizengamot and the current Minister had fallen. She would then take her place as the Minister for Magic, and hopefully run the magical community better than Fudge had.

At long last, the house was finally silent and Sirius went to the kitchen to wait away the time until Amelia Bones was to appear in the room, having no idea what was actually going on.

For a long while nothing happened. Then, all at once, Amelia Bones appeared in the kitchen and there was a tapping sound at the window.

"Sirius Black?" Amelia Bones asked, sounding incredulous.

"Good morning," he greeted as he stood and opened the window. The owl was unfamiliar, but Sirius took the letter all the same. Sirius recognised the handwriting at once. It was Dora. Not wanting to deal with her at the moment, especially when he was supposed to be doing other things, Sirius set the letter aside and turned to Amelia Bones, who was watching him silently, her lips pursed.

"Sorry about the unexpected portkey," Sirius said finally, "But we needed to get you out of there. Things will be crazy there for a while."

He offered her tea and a seat at the table before beginning his explanation, hoping that she wasn't too reluctant. At her immediate protest, he knew this would be a long day.

* * *

As soon as Harry was out of sight of the cabin where he had been unconscious for most of the past two months, and away from Helen's careful watch, he pulled out his wand and conjured a long black cloak with a hood to disguise himself a bit. He was, as far as he knew, still a convict, after all. He couldn't just reveal himself to the Wizarding World. Pulling on his cloak and making sure the hood covered his scar well enough that nobody would be able to tell who he was, he apparated back to the Wizarding World.

He landed in an alley near the Leaky Cauldron, and making sure to act casual, entered the pub. It was mostly empty, as it was a weekday, and no one paid him any attention as he walked up to the bar.

"Can I help you?" Tom asked, eyeing him.

"I need a room for several nights, if you can provide," Harry replied.

Tom nodded. "Room three is available for you right now,"

Harry took a few moments to arrange his renting of the room, then headed up to room three to drop off the few possessions that he still had in his backpack. Helen had claimed that she had left it just as she found it, and he had only added a bit of food that she had offered to him before he left.

He pulled out that food now and ate it, though he couldn't manage very much, what with his much weakened state. He knew that he would need to build his strength up again before he did much travelling at all. Just the one apparation to the Leaky Cauldron had worn him out quite a bit, and he knew he probably wouldn't be able to apparate anywhere else without splinching himself. His animagus form took even more energy out of him. Flying was surprisingly exhausting.

Content as he was to stay in his room of the Leaky Cauldron, he did have to take a bit of time to catch up with the Wizarding World. With little to no contact since before Azkaban, he had no idea of the state of things.

Harry made his way back downstairs and bought a Daily Prophet from Tom, before finding a seat and perusing it, looking for any information that might help him know what had been going on in the past year. The information given was of little help and it left Harry feeling annoyed, though relieved. If there wasn't any real news, then things had settled right down after the defeat of Voldemort.

Feeling restless, Harry entered Diagon Alley and wandered about the shops for a while, making sure to keep his face covered so as to not reveal his presence. To his luck, nobody even paid him a second glance. As he walked, he made mental plans to find out where Sirius, Remus, Dora, and Ginny were these days, and to meet up with them again. He was sure that Sirius and Ginny, at least, were probably frustrated with his disappearance at Godric's Hallow, and he hoped that Ginny didn't think too badly of him for being with Sarah. He hadn't actually remembered her, after all. How could he have known they were together?

Feeling a bit lost and hoping that his family would actually accept him back after so long, Harry headed back to his room for the night, to get some rest.

* * *

**A/N - Review?**


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Disclaimer: **See previous chapters.

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N – Finally, some time to write! Actually, I'm only back for slightly under two weeks, then I'm heading off to the Oregon Coast for a week. Hopefully I'll be able to get some writing done there, but no guarantees. After that, I have half a week and then I'll be going out of town for my cousin's wedding for five days. Three weeks later, school starts again. All the while, every time I'm home, I'm so busy that I rarely even get a chance to write. I'm going a little crazy here. Luckily, after this chapter, there are only two more chapters and an epilogue and this story is complete.**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Dora! How is he?" Ginny asked, rushing up to Dora, who was holding Teddy and pacing outside of a hospital room. She had just been able to get away from her mum, who had started arguing as Ginny had tried to leave, once again, without informing her mum where she was going.

Dora looked worried as she replied. "I don't know, they won't let me in,"

Ginny studied the woman and noted that she looked exhausted, but put it down to having a newborn infant around. She glanced around then, expecting to see other people, perhaps from the Order waiting as well. No one was there, but one missing person stood out. "Where's Sirius?"

Dora's expression darkened. "He hasn't shown up yet," she answered, her voice dull.

Ginny felt bad for bringing it up when Dora was so stressed. Sirius was a bitter topic with the Lupins, at the moment. "He hasn't...surely he wouldn't ignore Remus being in the hospital just because he's bitter?"

Dora shrugged.

"Excuse me, are you Auror Lupin?"

Dora looked up to see a healer standing nearby. Her expression changed to anxious. "I am," she responded.

"I was told to give this to you. An owl delivered it not too long ago," the healer told her, holding out a rolled piece of parchment, which was marked with a Ministry insignia.

Dora frowned, looking obviously disappointed. Ginny knew that she had been hoping for news on how Remus was doing. None the less, she accepted the letter from the healer and he nodded a farewell before leaving.

Dora opened the scroll and scanned it, her face becoming more and more dark as she read. "I forgot that they were going to take over the Ministry today," she muttered.

"What's going on?"

"It's a summons. They're requesting all aurors to report at the Ministry to help," Dora replied.

"Aren't you on personal leave?"

"Yes, but they're even pulling people off of that," she answered, looking down at Teddy, and then over at the closed door behind which Remus was laying in a bed in an undetermined condition. There was a clear note of panic in her voice and Ginny knew that the woman couldn't take much more stress before she broke down.

Ginny only hesitated a moment before she offered, "I can look after Teddy, if you need to go. I'll make sure you hear first thing about any news with Remus as well,"

Dora considered this then gave Ginny a weak smile. "Thank you, Ginny. You're a lifesaver," She gave quick instructions on the specifics of tending to Teddy, then handed the infant and the bag to Ginny and dashed off down the hall.

Sighing, Ginny took a seat on the bench across from Remus' door, cradling Teddy in her arms.

* * *

Sirius strode through the Ministry, glad that his part in the rebellion over as he looked around. It was a mess here and as he wasn't an official Ministry worker, he had to do nothing. The real Ministry workers were trying to control the mass of civilians, which, as according to plan, had been riled up and brought to protest against Fudge in the Atrium. Sirius even noticed some of Neville, Luna, and Hermione's DA members in the crowd, protesting just as strongly as the adults were.

"Sirius!"

Sirius turned around to see an angry looking Dora rushing toward him. He immediately set a scowl on his face, not wanting to deal with her.

"What are you doing here?" Dora asked.

"My part in the rebellion. Unlike you and Remus, who failed to show up this morning," Sirius retorted.

Dora glared at him. "I had my priorities straight. There are more important things than the Ministry, Sirius,"

"Like what?"

"Remus. And Teddy,"

"I thought you were going to leave Teddy with Andromeda while you came here?"

"I couldn't leave him there with Remus in this condition!" Dora protested.

"What condition?" Sirius asked, confused now.

Dora paused, her anger melting away completely. "You don't know?" she asked faintly.

Sirius stared at Dora, not understanding what she was talking about.

"Sirius, Remus is-"

"Black! Get over here and help with this!" Moody barked out an order.

Sirius obeyed, leaving Dora looking upset. He couldn't think about his argument with Remus right now. There were more important things at the moment.

* * *

"Excuse me, are you here for Remus Lupin?"

Ginny looked up to see a young healer standing before her. Immediately, she stood, careful not to jostle Teddy too much as he drank from a bottle.

"Yes,"

The healer smiled at her. "He is awake now and can have visitors,"

"Oh! Thank you. Can you get the message to Auror Lupin at the Ministry, please?" Ginny asked.

The healer nodded. "I'll have someone send an owl right away,"

"Thank you," Ginny murmured again, then gathered up all of Teddy's things and entered the room.

Remus was sitting up in bed, but he looked worse than Ginny had ever seen him, excepting that first night he had his arm cursed.

"Ginny," he greeted with his eyes on Teddy. "Where's Dora?"

"She got called in at the Ministry. Evidently, the rebellion is going on in full force," she informed him.

"Oh,"

"I had someone send a message to her that you're awake, so maybe she'll be able to break away and get here," Ginny commented, coming to stand beside the bed.

Remus frowned.

Teddy suddenly shoved the bottle away and instead gazed intently at Remus, his hair changing to a deep brown, which Remus knew to mean that he wanted him.

Reaching out, Remus took Teddy in his arms and Teddy's hair turned back to blue almost instantly.

Ginny stepped back and took a seat, putting the bottle back into the bag Dora had brought for Teddy.

"Mr. Lupin, you should be resting," a healer said from the doorway, looking disapproving as she watched the scene.

"Holding an infant isn't exactly a strenuous activity," Ginny pointed out, but the healer ignored her. She moved forward and snatched the baby out of Remus' arms and handed him back to Ginny. She then turned to help Remus lay down.

Teddy immediately protested changing hands. He let out a cry and his hair changed colour again.

"He'll need silence to sleep," the healer gave a pointed look to Ginny, who was trying to comfort the crying infant.

"He would've been silent if you hadn't taken him from my arms," Remus protested now, glaring at the healer.

"Nonsense, you need your rest," the healer proclaimed, then shooed Ginny and Teddy from the room.

Ginny glared at the healer before continuing her attempts to quiet Teddy, which she finally succeeded with when she gave him a small stuffed rabbit she found in the bag.

The door was closed again and Ginny found herself again sitting on the bench, waiting. Hopefully Dora wouldn't actually show up, expecting to speak with Remus, because it wasn't going to happen with that healer was tending to Remus.

* * *

It was hours later when the first healer's shift finished and a new healer took over. This healer, Ginny discovered was much nicer. The moment she discovered that Ginny had been sitting outside all day with Teddy, she invited her to come and wait in Remus' room, with the infant. Remus was, however, asleep.

Dora hadn't shown up, and Ginny knew that she was probably too busy at the Ministry to come for even a short visit. She couldn't help but wonder just what was going on at the Ministry. Pulling out a book, Ginny read for a while, though her mind wasn't really on the book. Instead, she thought of Sirius, and if he would ever show up to be with Remus at all. She wondered how stubborn Sirius could actually be, but then realised that he had been searching consistently for Harry for over six months now. If that were any sign of Sirius' stubbornness, then he probably wouldn't come visit Remus on his deathbed, though he'd probably be worried sick about his old friend.

Ginny then thought mournfully of Harry. He would want to know that Remus was in the hospital, but as there was no trace of him at all, there was no way to let him know. If he ever showed up, it would likely be far too late.

Ginny looked up at the sound of Remus' breathing turning raspy, and she watched him, her eyes wide. Finally, Remus' eyes flickered open and landed on her and Teddy.

"Dora?" he asked. Ginny winced at his rough voice.

"She's not here,"

Remus frowned. "I need to talk to her. Please,"

Ginny hesitated. "Okay. Hold Teddy," Ginny pressed Teddy into Remus' arms, then dashed out of the room, intent on getting the message to Dora. Hopefully she would come this time.

* * *

"Sirius!"

"What?" Sirius asked, turning to look at Dora. They were, he noted, finally in a place where they were able to talk again and finish their conversation. It was nearly dark now, and they were all but done at the Ministry, just finishing up a last few things.

"Did you or did you not receive my letter this morning?" Dora asked.

Sirius frowned. "I got it, but I didn't read it. Bones showed up at the same time," he explained. "What was in it that is so important, then?"

Dora's face turned grim. "Remus is in the hospital, Sirius. His injury is worse than ever," she told him softly.

Sirius immediately froze, mentally fighting himself. Worry about Remus flooded him, but he also remembered that the last time they had been in contact, they had both said a lot of nasty things and Remus had punched him and broken his nose.

"But he's all right, isn't he?" Sirius asked.

Dora shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I haven't heard anything all day, though Ginny was supposed to keep me informed. I'm wondering if the post was stopped, somehow,"

"Lupin!"

Dora turned away to answer the call from a higher auror who requested her help with something.

Sirius tuned out the conversation they were having to sort through his troubled thoughts. He knew that he had to get to St. Mungo's, even if Remus didn't want him there. He couldn't let another friend die without even saying goodbye.

With his choice already made, Sirius hurried from the Ministry, ignoring everyone who called out for him as he went.

He arrived at St. Mungo's in no time, with the help of apparation, and he almost immediately ran into Ginny.

"Sirius!" she cried in shock.

"Where's Remus?" Sirius asked.

Ginny paused, then pointed out the direction of his room. "But what are you doing here? Is Dora coming?"

"She's still busy, though very anxious to know what's going on. She hasn't received any news, if you've sent any,"

Ginny cursed under her breath. "Remus is awake and requesting her. I'll have to go to the Ministry to find her," she replied.

"Hurry," Sirius advised, then headed toward Remus' room as Ginny dashed in the opposite direction.

* * *

**A/N – For all of those people who didn't think that The Brotherhood was exactly up to par, I'd have to agree with you, so I've been doing some major editing on it, when I get the chance, and I'm posting up edited chapters. It's not all that changed, just fixing some grammar and spelling things and making sure all the plot holes that I messed up on because I was writing with no outline are patched up. If you liked it just fine, there's no need to read it again, but if not, it's way better now, if I do say so myself. And to clear it up, yes, this is my second edit on The Brotherhood. The fanfic is growing with my writing skills, so it will probably be updated again in the future as well. Go check it out, and review, if you feel so inclined. Thanks!**


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Disclaimer : Not mine. Not now, not ever.**

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N - I'm right in the middle of my very last trip for this summer, which happens to be for my cousin's wedding. Boredom struck and I finally managed to get this chapter edited. I might let you know that this chapter was hard for me to write and edit, and I don't think It's perfect yet. I'm sure you'll see why when you read it.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

Sirius entered the hospital room tentatively to find that Remus was laying in the bed looking worse than Sirius had ever seen him before, which was saying something considering how many years they had been friends and how many full moons they had spent together. It only added to the scene that Teddy was asleep on his chest. Remus was stroking Teddy's back rhythmically, as if he were desperately hanging on to the normality that it brought.

"Remus?" Sirius broke through the silence softly.

Remus' head jerked up and Sirius was faced with a startled expression. At seeing Sirius, Remus' face darkened slightly, and he stopped stroking Teddy's back abruptly.

Sirius stepped further into the room, lowering his eyes from Remus' pale face, suddenly ashamed.

"I only just heard you were in here," Sirius said.

Remus said nothing, just watched Sirius, his eyes alert, almost like a predator stalking its prey.

Sirius bit his lip, not being able to think of what else to say. He never had been very good at being coherent when speaking in tense situations. The silence was awkward and Sirius found himself wishing for Dora and Ginny to show up.

"I...How's Teddy?" Sirius asked, looking down at the sleeping baby.

Remus, too, glanced down, his gaze softening as it landed on Teddy. Sirius immediately felt guilty. How could he reject the child he way he had?

"He's fine," Remus finally replied, though gruffly. His voice was harsh, and Sirius couldn't tell if it was from anger or from something else entirely.

"Are you okay?"

Remus frowned. "When is Dora coming?" he asked.

Sirius hesitated, knowing that Remus had purposely avoided answering, but replied all the same, "Ginny went to get her. She's tied up at the Ministry right now, but she should be able to come soon,"

Remus moved to sit up, but then winced at the slight pressure it put on his arm. "I need to see her," he said.

"She'll get here before too much longer,"

Remus stilled, his face pensive. He coughed suddenly, violently, and Sirius grimaced as he saw the blood that appeared in Remus' hand. It didn't even faze Remus as he wiped it on a rag that had seemingly been placed nearby for that exact reason.

"It's getting worse, Sirius. I just need to see her one last time before..."

Sirius felt his heart skip a beat. It was close now, Sirius could tell. Remus would be dying, and there was no way to stop it. His death had been coming inevitably closer every day, and Sirius knew that it had to arrive one day. Sirius once again cursed Voldemort and his retched horcruxes.

"Remus..."

Remus coughed again.

"I'm sorry, Remus. So sorry," Sirius pleaded.

Remus leaned back against the pillows, his face somehow paler than before. His breathing was no longer steady, and his breaths sounded unusually raspy and loud.

"Take Teddy," Remus said, holding out the baby. Teddy's eyes blinked open at the movement and he stared at Sirius.

Sirius only hesitated a moment before he accepted the child into his arms. Teddy immediately cuddled up to Sirius, still mostly asleep.

Remus was coughing again, and he didn't seem able to recover as well this time. He looked up at Sirius with wide eyes. "Take care of them, for me, Sirius. Promise me," he requested.

"Remus..."

"Promise me!"

Sirius glanced down at the baby in his arms. "We should get a healer in here," he said.

Remus reached out then, in a move that startled Sirius completely. Grasping Sirius by the front of his shirt, he pulled him closer.

"Sirius, promise me!"

"I...Yes, Remus, of course. I'll take care of Teddy,"

"And Dora?"

"And Dora," Sirius promised.

Remus lay back then, looking relieved. He closed his eyes.

"Remus!" Sirius felt panicked at the sight of Remus lying so still, but Remus' eyes flickered open and he gave Sirius a weary look.

"I'm so sorry I refused Teddy, Remus. I'm sorry for yelling at you and Dora. I'm sorry for running out on you. I should have been there for you," Sirius rambled, watching Remus.

"Will you forgive me?" Sirius asked, his voice faint.

Remus coughed harshly.

"Remus?"

Remus opened his eyes again and held out his hand.

Sirius took his friend's hand and gasped at how cold it was. In his arms, Teddy shifted and let out a small cry.

Remus half smiled at the sound of his beloved son. He spoke softly, then, "Of course I forgive you, Padfoot. You're my best friend."

Remus stilled and his eyes closed. His expression revealed his absolute pain. Then, all at once, Remus let out one last raspy breath, his hand fell limp, and his face relaxed into a peaceful expression.

A loud alarm blared outside the door and panicked looking healers rushed into the room.

Sirius was pulled away from Remus' bed and he found himself shoved into the corner as the healers surrounded Remus. He clutched Teddy close as the baby started crying at the loud voices in the room.

"He's gone," one of the healer's said, and Sirius felt his tears overflow as he sobbed for the loss of his best friend.

* * *

"Dora!" Ginny called out, seeing the auror. Dora turned and saw Ginny rushing up to her.

"Ginny? What are you doing here? Where's Teddy?"

"With Remus. He wants to see you, but Sirius said that you didn't get my message earlier, so I had to come find you," Ginny said, breathing heavily from running through the Ministry to find her.

"Is everything okay?"

"I don't know. He seemed fine when I last saw him. We should hurry, though," Ginny replied.

Dora looked torn as another person called her name and requested her help. Turning away from the person, Dora murmured a "Let's go," and led the way to a nearby apparation point.

Soon after, both women were hurrying down the hall towards Remus' room at St. Mungo's. The hallways was abnormally busy and it was only as they arrived that they could see Sirius sitting on the bench outside the closed door. His hands hid his face as he slouched wearily in his seat. Teddy was sitting on the floor at Sirius' feet, playing with a small toy. The baby was the first to notice them and he smiled widely at his mum.

"Sirius?"

Sirius looked up and Ginny knew immediately that something bad had happened. Sirius' face was streaked with tears and his expression was one of despair.

"Remus?" Dora asked softly, her eyes wide and pleading with Sirius.

He shook his head and tried to reply, but only managed one garbled word, "Gone,"

Dora stared at him in shock for a long moment, then she crumpled, the shock of everything that day plus the news of her husband's death overwhelming her. She fell to the floor, but neither Sirius nor Ginny helped her, both living in their own misery.

Healers came forward and helped Dora to her feet and sat her beside Sirius, who handed Teddy to her silently. Dora held him close, finding small comfort in her son's presence as she wept.

Ginny felt her own tears start to fall as well as she watched Dora. "I should..." she paused. "I should contact Dumbledore,"

Sirius nodded without a word and Ginny left, not wanting to exaggerate her own pain by being near the aching sadness that surrounded Sirius and Dora.

* * *

Gone. His absence was like a painful hole had been ripped in her heart, and it couldn't be filled with anything, not even Teddy. Time was a blur, now, and she didn't care that she was simply sitting at a table, staring into space. He was gone. Dead.

Faintly, in the fog that was real life, she could hear crying. Teddy's, she knew. She didn't react to it. Someone else would tend to him. There were plenty of people around. She had been forced to accept all of their condolences, all of their small gifts, all of their sad expressions. None of them felt the way she did. He had been her husband, her one true love, the father of her child. He was now non-existent.

She felt herself start sobbing again, but she didn't bother trying to stop. A gentle hand rubbed her back soothingly, though whoever it was didn't say anything. She heard other voices in the fog, and then Teddy was quieted.

Something was pressed into her hands. A cup of tea, she realised. She didn't drink it. It wouldn't bring Remus back. Nothing could do that.

"Dora, Teddy needs you," a soft voice informed her.

Dora didn't reply, nor did she attempt to find Teddy to give him her attention.

"Take care of him for her, Miss Weasley. She's not up to anything right now," a different voice - Dumbledore? - replied.

There was a grumbled reply, but Dora didn't pay any further attention.

Someone took the untouched teacup from her hand and pulled her to her feet before scooping her into their arms, supporting her back and under the knees. Dora realised it was Sirius.

He carried her out of the room and up the stairs to a bedroom that she knew as the one in Grimmauld Place that she had often used in the past. She was momentarily confused. When had she been brought to Grimmauld Place?

She was laid down on a bed and covered with blankets.

"I'll take care of you, Dora. Just as I promised," Sirius' whispered voice said through the fog of shock, but then Dora registered no more, as she gave into the weariness and fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N - Reviews make my boredom dissipate, and inspire me to write the next chapter, which will finally have Harry in it again.**


	22. Chapter Twenty One

**Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or anything to do with the books. I am only borrowing the characters, places, spells, and some plot devices for my own entertainment purposes. They will be returned, cleaned and polished, to their original owner, JK Rowling, as soon as I am finished with them.**

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N - School has started, and as such, I am much busier. However, this story is almost complete so you probably won't have to wait much longer. Also, if you're interested, I started another story entitled _Hermione's Betrayal _which I will continue working on just as soon as this fanfic is complete. The first chapter of that one is up for viewing, if you want to check it out. I've been getting good reviews for it.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Sirius stared bleakly at the few people who were gathered to mourn the death of Remus Lupin. His death, like most others, had been announced in the Daily Prophet, with a bit of information of his life. His lycanthropy had not been mentioned, due to Sirius' request. Or rather, Sirius'_ threat _made to the editor of the Daily Prophet. Most people, however, knew about it anyway. Remus was one of the most famous werewolves, known for acting more wizard than wolf. Still, he had been persecuted, and disliked by the majority of people, which meant few people actually attended his funeral.

Of all the people here, Sirius recognised about ninety percent as members of the Order. The other ten percent were other people Remus had influenced, from the werewolf preserve, a couple of the prefects from his Hogwarts years, and distant relatives who hadn't known him well, but decided to attend the funeral anyway. Sirius thought they might be his father's cousins, but he wasn't sure, and the young couple didn't give him any information.

Sirius finished examining the crowd and moved froward down the aisle of chairs. Dora sat at the front, next to her mother. Teddy had been left with a babysitter, back at Grimmauld Place. There was an empty seat on the other side of Dora, which Sirius knew was reserved for him, but he wasn't ready to sit down yet. Instead, he walked up to the casket, which was open.

The man inside the casket looked like he was sleeping, yet it wasn't natural. All traces of the scars that he had gained over the years were covered up by spells, and he was paler than he had been in life, though he had always been unusually pale. Sirius was tempted to remove one of the glamours on Remus' face, to reveal at least one scar. Remus just wasn't the same if he had no scars. It was what made Remus who he was.

The officiator stood up then, and Sirius took his seat next to Dora. She leaned comfortably on him. She wasn't crying yet, though he knew it wouldn't be long. She had managed to contain herself thus far. The shock of his death had long since worn off and Sirius hadn't seen her cry since. At night, though, he could hear her sobbing as she wept for the loss of her companion.

The officiator started talking, but Sirius only listened to the first few moments before he tuned it out. The man had not even met Remus, and he was talking about the deeds of his life like he had known him. He supposed that it was the man's job, but Sirius now regretted it. He almost wished that he had opted for a less formal funeral, where people from the crowd were able to go up and say a few words. He had been considering it, but then decided against it. He personally would've been too upset to get up front and speak about the man he had known as a brother.

Bitterly, Sirius mentally checked the last name off of his list. James had gone first, starting the chain of events. Peter had been given the Dementor's kiss by the Ministry's order after Harry had delivered the rat to win Sirius' freedom. Sirius had hated Peter Pettigrew, but in their school years, Wormtail had been a friend and brother, just as much as the other two. It was only after Hogwarts that he had gone awry. After Peter, Harry had left him. He wasn't dead, but he was beyond reach, in some unknown location and not even wanting to come back. Now Remus, the last of them all, had died, leaving him alone in this pitiful world. Dora was there, of course, as were Teddy and Ginny, but it wasn't the same. With the others, there was something closer. They had been the Marauders. There was a brotherhood between them that he had once thought could never be broken. He had now learned that it could be, and had been. Their brotherhood was broken. He, the last ragged piece, was all that was left.

Sirius looked up as Dora poked him in the side. The officiator had stopped speaking and people were now invited to go up to pay their final respects before the body was lowered into the ground. Sirius, along with Dora and a few others, would be moving on to the Godric's Hollow cemetery after the funeral to watch it. Remus was to be buried right next to James and Lily. Sirius had thought it would be highly appropriate. He was sure that both James and Remus would've wanted it.

Grabbing Dora's hand, which he noticed was wet from wiping away the tears that still flowed endlessly down her solemn face, Sirius moved into the small line that led up to Remus' casket. In front of him, Kingsley stood, his head bowed. He nodded at Sirius and Dora as they joined him, but he didn't say anything. The room was mostly silent, only the voices of whispers could be heard from the back of the room, of those who had already paid their respects and were getting ready to leave.

After a few moment's wait, Dora and Sirius reached the casket. Sirius stayed back, allowing Dora to go up first. He watched as she whispered a few words that Remus would never hear. Then, she turned and walked away, not meeting Sirius' eyes.

Sirius stepped up then and stared once again into Remus' face. He hesitated, wondering what he should say to the man as a final goodbye. Then, it came to him, and with a wry smile, he murmured, "See you, Moony. Don't have too much fun with Prongs and Lily before I get up there,"

The man behind him, a person Sirius had never met, gave him a strange look, but Sirius ignored it in favour of heading over to Dora, who was speaking softly to another auror, who had attended likely only for Dora's sake.

"Do you want to go home?" Sirius asked, coming up to Dora. It would be several hours until they were supposed to be at the burial site.

Dora looked at him. The tears on her face had dried, mostly, but drops of water still glistened in her eyelashes.

"Yes. Let's go home,"

* * *

Harry stared at the reflection of himself as he stood in the mirror. Messy black hair, which hadn't been combed in days, making it stick up worse than normal, framed his pale and thin face. From under his fringe, the end of his famous scar could be seen. Bright green eyes stared pensively and his mouth was twisted with distaste. He hadn't worn this body in many days, instead staying under disguise wherever he went, even at night. He had figured with how precarious his luck was, that something might happen in the middle of the night and his true identity would be revealed. It hadn't, however, and he had managed to survive.

Now, here he was, back in his original form. His energy was back up to normal and Harry felt well enough to change into his animagus form. He would need to, to get home. Grimmauld Place was his first stop. He knew that Sirius hated it there, but it was the only home he had. Perhaps Ginny would be there as well, along with Dora and Remus. A longing for them had settled into his stomach region when he had first gained his memories of them again, and it grew stronger with each passing day. It was time to find them.

Turning away from the mirror, Harry pushed his hair out of his face and moved to the window. He knew that in this form, he wouldn't be able to simply walk out of the room to have everyone recognise him, so that left using the window. It was large enough for a man as thin as he was to crawl through, but there was a long fall on the other side. Jumping out and then turning into a bird before he landed would be his only choice. He could only hope that his animagus skill didn't fail him.

Glancing around the room one last time to see if he had missed anything, he found nothing, and turned back to the window. He had sent all of his belongings to Grimmauld Place by owl that morning, while he still had on his disguise. Now, he just had to fly there himself.

Shoving the window open, Harry enjoyed the light breeze that fluttered through for a moment, then got to work, hoisting himself up on the windowsill. He had never been afraid of heights, quite the opposite, actually, but this seemed very daunting at the moment. Perhaps it was just the nervousness of seeing his family and what their reactions would be at him showing up again. That nervousness had been quite constant as well, these past few days.

Gathering his Gryffindor courage, Harry closed his eyes, then opened them abruptly and jumped. He fell straight down and immediately concentrated on transforming. Just before he hit the ground, he finalised the change and shoved his wings out to their full range. He jerked and was soon soaring upwards with a few swipes through the air. Rising above the buildings, he ignored the gaping of humans on the ground, wondering what such a large bird was doing in the middle of London, and heading north, toward Grimmauld Place.

It wasn't hard to find in the air, not any harder than finding it on the ground, but Harry still circled it for a few moments before he finally lowered himself in the air and landed outside. Moving into some bushes, so people passing by wouldn't spot him, Harry changed back into human form. He kept his head low as he moved to the door of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place and knocked.

Only seconds later, the door was opened by a girl who Harry didn't know at all. A baby was on her hip and she looked annoyed at his disturbance. He had thought that he had knocked on the wrong door, or perhaps that Sirius had sold the place to some new people, until the girl's expression widened into one of shock and fear.

"Harry Potter," she said breathlessly.

Harry simply looked at her. Of course he was Harry Potter. Now where was Sirius?

"Don't hurt me, please," the girl begged, backing away frantically.

Harry would've thought the wise choice would be to shut the door. He doubted anyone could get in with it locked. He had seen the locks on that door himself.

"Where's Sirius Black?" Harry asked lightly.

"He's not here," the girl squeaked out, now at the far end of the hall. She looked ready to dash into a nearby open doorway.

"He still lives here, though?"

"I'm just a babysitter," the girl informed him, shifting the baby on her hip.

Harry's eyes fell on the baby. So who did the child belong to then?

Harry took a step in the door and the girl cried out in fear. Suddenly, she pulled the baby off her hip and held him out towards Harry. "Here, take him instead. Just don't hurt me!"

Harry didn't reply, though he was startled. Who was this girl, ready to sacrifice a child to save herself?

When he didn't reply, the girl set the baby on the floor at her feet and dashed into a room. Harry heard the noise of a floo and he knew the girl was gone.

Not sure what else to do, since Sirius was obviously not there, Harry stepped further inside and shut the door behind him. He went to the baby, who looked up at him curiously, and picked him up.

"Who do you belong to?" he asked. The baby gurgled in response.

Moving further into the house, Harry tried to find any sign of any inhabitants. He had never really learned whether or not Sirius still lived there, but the presence of this baby was making him doubtful that Sirius did. Unless he had kidnapped the baby for some reason, which really wouldn't have surprised Harry all that much.

Going into the kitchen, Harry found a bag full of baby supplies, including a half drank bottle of milk. The child had obviously been in the middle of a feeding when he had arrived at the door. Setting the child on the table, Harry took a seat nearby and dug through the bag, looking for any clues. He found none.

Discouraged, Harry stared at the child. He had never had the skill to see how a child resembled its parents. All babies looked the same to him. The baby was being no help, either, as it reached toward the bottle, trying to get back to his meal.

Since he had scared off the previous babysitter, Harry figured that he might as well take up the job. He had nothing else to do while he was waiting away the time until the kid's parents arrived back home. Perhaps their arrival would help him figure out where Sirius was.

* * *

It was a relief to arrive home at Grimmauld Place. Dora and Ginny accompanied him, Dora living here now, and Ginny not wanting to go back to her mum, who hadn't known she was attending the funeral. Fred and George had been in attendance, and had been abnormally solemn, but none of the other Weasleys had shown up, not that Sirius had much expected it. Though Molly Weasley had been close to Remus in the past, a rift had grown between them, started by one Harry Potter.

Pushing open the front door, Sirius held it open for the two ladies to enter behind him. The house was quiet and Sirius was glad that the girl he had hired, with Hermione's help, had managed to keep Teddy quiet. He had been doubtful of her babysitting skills, but she had assured him, and Dora, that she was well used to tending little ones. She had seven younger siblings, after all.

Leading the way to the kitchen, where Sirius thought they might find Teddy and the sitter, Sirius was surprised to find that neither was in sight. The diaper bag was set on the table, but neither baby nor sitter were to be found.

Dora didn't seem to notice, as she took a seat at the table and Ginny set about making tea for them. "I'm going to go find Teddy," Sirius announced, and Dora nodded dully, almost reminding Sirius of how she had first been when they had arrived back from St. Mungo's right after Remus had died. He hoped that she wasn't going back into that fog. It hadn't been pleasant for anyone.

Exiting the room, Sirius climbed the stairs. It was as he was passing the first bedroom on the second story, the room that Harry had once claimed as his, that he heard noises behind a door. Teddy was giggling.

Sirius knocked once at the door before pushing it open. He stopped in shock at what he saw. Teddy was up in the air from being tossed up. Posed beneath him, ready to catch the baby was not the girl he had hired to babysit.

"Hey!" Sirius called, alarmed. Teddy was caught and the stranger turned around abruptly, his face coming into full view. Sirius stumbled backwards in shock. "Harry?"

Harry's mouth pulled up in a small smile. "Hello, Sirius. Miss me?"

* * *

**A/N - Catch something wrong with this fanfic, including typos, misspelled words, or a plot line that just doesn't make sense? Let me know, please.**

**I write fanfictions to better myself in my original story/novel writing. I strive for the best, but I admit to occasionally missing things. If you see anything that needs to be fixed, or you just have any advice or comments, let me know, in a review or PM. Also, I won't respond to every review, though I'll try with PMs. I just don't have the time. However, if you ask a question, I will try to respond with an answer. Thanks.**


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

**Disclaimer :** I do not own Harry Potter or anything to do with the books. I am only borrowing the characters, places, spells, and some plot devices for my own entertainment purposes. They will be returned, cleaned and polished, to their original owner, JK Rowling, as soon as I am finished with them.

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N - As we near the end of this story, I've finally decided that I should get on a regular schedule of posting, so you can count on posts from me on Thursdays and Mondays. Yes, I know today is a Friday. I was a bit preoccupied with life yesterday and forgot to post. After I finish The Innocents' Revenge, I'll be posting Hermione's Betrayal on those same two days. If I find that overwhelming, I may just cut down to once a week. Also, I'm going to be posting up edited chapters of The Brotherhood weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays, which means there is a newly edited chapter up as you're reading this. There are only some technical issues fixed and some minor details, but no huge plot changes, so if you don't want to go back and read it, you don't have to, but I suggest you do, because it's only getting better. Anyway, enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Two**

Ginny set a cup of steaming tea in front of Dora, who was idly flipping through the Daily Prophet that they had received shortly before they left but that she hadn't yet been able to read, and then turned to stare toward the doorway that Sirius had disappeared through nearly five minutes ago. It was taking Sirius an awfully long time to find the babysitter and Teddy. The house that huge, and surely she would be able to hear noises from them coming back downstairs by now. Something had to have happened to hold him up. She would have thought that Sirius would've called down to them to let them know if something serious had happened, but perhaps he didn't want Dora to know about it to stress out about anything else.

Not wanting to worry Dora either, and thinking that she probably wouldn't even notice much anyway, as she looked rather preoccupied, Ginny murmured an excuse that she wasn't even sure Dora heard, then she slipped out of the room.

Ginny went up the stairs, listening intently for anything out of place. Hearing nothing, she called out, "Sirius?"

There was a pause, and then Sirius' voice came from a room down the hallway. "In here!"

Ginny made her way to the room his voice had resounded from with confusion. He didn't sound worried at all. The door was still open and she peered in warily. At seeing who was in there with Sirius, Ginny's heart started racing. She gasped in shock.

Harry glanced up and his vibrant green eyes met her shocked brown. A small smile appeared on his face as he saw her and Ginny felt all the pent up anger and worry she had felt about him melt away. He was safe. He was home. Most of all, he clearly recognised her.

"Harry!"

Without even really thinking, Ginny flung herself forward. Harry caught her in his arms and twirled her around, to ease her momentum so they didn't fall to the floor.

"Oh, Harry! You're back! I thought I'd never see you again," Ginny rambled, clinging to Harry desperately.

Then suddenly, Harry was kissing her and it was better than she had ever remembered it being. All thoughts of Harry not loving her, of Harry walking hand in hand with that other girl; they all fled, leaving behind pure bliss.

"Ahem," Sirius broke the moment, bouncing Teddy on his hip. His lips were relaxed in an amused smile as he watched the pair of them.

Breaking apart, the two turned to look at him. Ginny was silently glaring and telling him with her eyes to butt out, despite her knowing that he had as much a right as she did to spend time with Harry now that he had returned.

Harry stepped away from her, though, and started speaking, seemingly about the first thing that came to mind. "So whose baby is that?"

"This is Teddy. He's Dora and Remus' son," Sirius explained, his voice faltering on his newly departed friend's name.

Harry, though Ginny could see he noticed Sirius' stumble, didn't seem to dwell on it, preferring to ask about the startling news.

"Remus and Dora? But...they got married?"

"Shortly after you escaped from Azkaban,"

Harry's face looked pained. "I shouldn't have missed that,"

"You missed a lot," Ginny pointed out in a bitter tone. Her anger at Harry had now come back that she had recovered from her shock. She folded her arms in front of herself.

Harry looked guilty at that. "I know...but, I didn't remember any of you. Only the nightmares of being a deatheater stayed with me after Azkaban," he explained.

"We tried to contact you," Sirius said pointedly.

Harry nodded. "I know that now. I remember seeing you and..." he paused, seemingly remembering something, then turned to Ginny. "That girl you saw me with...we weren't even that serious."

"Right. That's why she was devastated when you left," Ginny replied.

Harry flinched at her harsh words. The guilt he had felt when he had left Sarah in such an awful way as he had rushed back to him. He wished he could go apologise to her, but he somehow thought she wouldn't want to see him. He had tortured someone in front of her, after all.

"Where have you been all this time? In between Godric's Hollow and now?" Sirius asked, trying to break the tension in the room.

Harry shifted. "I was unconscious for most of it, actually. I was ill, fell asleep, and then stayed in a coma while I regained all of my memories. I was nursed back to health by a stranger who found me and decided to take me in while I was ill,"

"Harry?" the shocked voice of Tonks came from the doorway. She had evidently realised that she had been ditched and came up to investigate.

Harry looked almost as shocked at the appearance of Tonks as she did at seeing him. Ginny could see why. Tonks looked nothing like her normal self. Her hair wasn't brightly coloured, she was abnormally pale, and she had a solemn air around her.

"What happened?" Harry asked her warily, then glanced at Sirius and Ginny.

A pregnant pause filled the air. Ginny didn't want to be the one to break the news to Harry that Remus had died. Even to speak the words would be painful to her, and Harry had loved Remus more than she had.

"Harry...maybe you should sit down," Sirius suggested.

Harry looked around at all of them again, his main expression wariness. Following Sirius' suggestion, he pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down.

Dora came further into the room and sat down on the bed, reaching out for Teddy. Sirius handed the baby over willingly. He knew that Dora would need Teddy for comfort.

Ginny leaned against the back of Harry's chair. Despite still being upset with him, she wanted to be close to him. She had missed him deeply.

"You remember, Harry, that Remus was cursed by the ring horcrux?" Sirius started softly.

Harry nodded slowly. Ginny could tell Harry was connecting the dots already.

"Well, it's been a long time. Even Madam Pomfrey hadn't suspected he would last this long..."

"He's died, hasn't he," Harry said it with no emotion at all. His face was unreadable.

Silently, Sirius nodded, looking upset.

There was another pause. Ginny had expected something more of Harry. Perhaps anger at himself, or guilt. She had even considered that he might break down. But no, he continued staring stoically at Sirius, no emotions gracing his features.

Then, slowly, Harry climbed to his feet.

"Harry?"

Harry shook his head numbly. He reached out and grabbed Ginny's hand, then went to leave the room, taking Ginny with him.

Ginny glanced back at Sirius and Dora. Dora's head was bowed, her chin lightly touching Teddy's head. Sirius was watching them depart, gloomily.

"I'll make sure he doesn't leave for good this time," Ginny assured them softly, tightening her grasp on Harry's hand protectively.

Harry didn't seem to mind. He turned and led Ginny further up the stairs, rather than down, like she had been expecting. They went all the way up to the top of Grimmauld Place, and then further, up onto the roof. Ginny should have realised that this was where he would go. He had always liked spending time on the roof when he had been here the last time. Ginny herself had spent time up here, thinking.

Reaching his favourite place to sit and stare out at the city, Harry sat, tugging Ginny down with him. He pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her. She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Silently, they both just sat there. Ginny knew that Harry would speak when he was ready. For now, she was just glad to be back in his arms.

* * *

It was evening, hours later, when Harry and Ginny finally showed up again downstairs. Dora and Sirius had already gone to Godric's Hollow, to see Remus buried, and they had returned, with Dumbledore in tow. He had immediately requested to see Harry as soon as he had heard the news.

So when Harry and Ginny entered the kitchen, hand in hand, and looking remarkably more settled and content, it was to find Dumbledore at the table with Sirius, Dora, and Teddy.

"Dumbledore," Harry greeted, taking a seat across from his old professor. Ginny sat next to him. Neither looked surprised that Dumbledore had shown up, and Sirius suspected that they had guessed he would.

"It's been a long time, Harry," Dumbledore started.

"So I've been told. Ginny also decided to tell me everything I've missed. What is Amelia Bones' stand on my innocence?"

Sirius was surprised, but accepted it. Of course Harry would've begged Ginny for information of everything he had missed.

"She isn't Fudge, thankfully. We chose her because she would be completely fair. She plans to give you another trial, this time considering all sides of the story. The fact that Voldemort is no longer alive will help in your favour, along with Pettigrew's arrest, which Sirius says you helped with. You were still, however, a deatheater. She may just say that the time you've spent in Azkaban is suitable punishment for that, but she may request more," Dumbledore answered.

"So I might have to go to Azkaban again?"

"If she can find suitable proof that you were, indeed, a deatheater and committed some of the crimes that deatheaters regularly commit, it is possible,"

Harry shifted wearily. He then turned to Sirius. "How many deatheaters are in Azkaban?"

"Only a few. Most of those caught red handed were given the Dementor's Kiss,"

Harry nodded. He looked thoughtful.

"What are you thinking, Harry?" Ginny asked, taking his hand.

"There is so solid proof of my being a deatheater beyond what the other deatheaters can provide. If most of them are gone, then it is only a matter of disposing of the rest,"

"What if they use Veritaserum on you, Harry? You have the Dark Mark tattooed on your arm. You still have all those memories," Dora pointed out.

Harry rubbed his left arm uncomfortably. "I'll deal with that when we come to it,"

There was a moment of silence, then Ginny asked, "When you say dispose of the rest of the deatheaters, what exactly do you mean?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Dumbledore beat him to replying, "Obliviation will work just fine. In fact, that could be the answer to Harry's memories of being a deatheater. We can say that in his traumatic time at Azkaban, he lost his memories. It is true enough, if you don't specify which memories,"

"It safe for him to loose such a large amount of memories? What if something goes wrong?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"As long as someone skilled with obliviating people does the job, everything should be fine," Dumbledore reassured him.

They all considered that, then Harry slowly nodded. "Yes. I'll do it,"

Sirius put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Are you sure?"

Harry turned his eyes on Sirius and Sirius saw the pain in his eyes as Harry said, "Those memories remind me of the worst months of my life. I would sooner forget them than have them corrupt me further,"

Sirius was startled. Harry had really matured since he had last truly spoken to him. It was a shock. He tried to figure out how old Harry was now. Eighteen? Nineteen? Sirius wasn't sure, but the young boy he had first met in Azkaban was now most definitely a man.

"Okay, Harry. We'll have those memories removed," Sirius replied.

Harry smiled, relieved, and turned back to face Dumbledore expectantly.

"I will find someone who will perform the task without speaking about it afterwards," Dumbledore stated, standing. "I will also speak to Amelia Bones about you having returned. Your trial will be soon, I would presume."

Harry nodded and Dumbledore left, with a quiet farewell to the others in the room.

In his absence, silence filled the room. Sirius wasn't sure that Harry had made the right decision, but he hoped that it would give Amelia Bones the incentive to declare Harry innocent. Within weeks, if not days, Harry would finally be cleared of all charges and he and Sirius could continue their lives without having to desperately fight for them.

For that, Sirius was relieved. He wrapped an arm cheerfully around Harry's shoulder and drew him close. Harry leaned into him and smiled broadly. As he did so, Sirius made a silent vow to never let Harry out of his sight ever again...just in case.

* * *

**A/N - Catch something wrong with this fanfic, including typos, misspelled words, or a plot line that just doesn't make sense? Let me know, please.**

**I write fanfictions to better myself in my original story/novel writing. I strive for the best, but I admit to occasionally missing things. If you see anything that needs to be fixed, or you just have any advice or comments, let me know, in a review or PM. Also, I won't respond to every review, though I'll try with PMs. I just don't have the time. However, if you ask a question, I will try to respond with an answer. Thanks.**


	24. Epilogue

**Disclaimer :** I do not own Harry Potter or anything to do with the books. I am only borrowing the characters, places, spells, and some plot devices for my own entertainment purposes. They will be returned, cleaned and polished, to their original owner, JK Rowling, as soon as I am finished with them.

**The Innocents' Revenge**

* * *

**A/N - So, finally, this is the end. There won't be another sequel, unless I suddenly get bored and decide to write one (doubtful with as crazy as real life is) but I might write a series of oneshots based off of this fic, depicting deleted or unwritten scenes. If there is anything you'd like to see, let me know and I'll see if I can write it. Warning, this is an epilogue, and as such, it does skip some amount of time and is quite short. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Epilogue**

The night was chilly as snow lightly drifted down. Most people were in their beds already at this hour, but along one lonely street, a single woman walked alone. Her hands were tucked into the pocket of her coat to keep warm, and she had her head bowed to avoid the wind, which chilled her nose. She turned a corner and came to a stop, simply watching. Several other people were awake and out in this village, it turned out.

In the Godric's Hollow cemetery, five people stood, gathered around a plot of three graves. She walked right up to the gate and peered at them. Three out of the five were familiar to her. A man who she had met only once stood holding a child who was perhaps six years old in his arms. They stood next to a smiling woman who had bright pink hair. The child, likewise, had lime green hair.

Near them, a man and a woman stood in each other's arms as they stared silently down at a pair of graves. The woman was many months pregnant, and she almost glowed with happiness. Her red hair was glistening in the light of the full moon that shone above them, through the clouds.

Without effort, a smile came upon her face as she looked upon the scene fondly. The five people were standing over graves that she knew well. She had visited them often after the boy she had loved had left her. They were her only connection to him. The two belonged to James and Lily Potter, plus a third grave of one Remus Lupin, which had been added some years back.

Turning away, as to not disturb the group, the woman slipped away into the darkness, though the smile did not fade from her face for a long time. At last, one of her worries had been soothed. A thorn deeply imbedded into her palm had been removed. Her burden had been lifted. The woman had always wondered what had come of the boy she had once loved. She had always worried about him. Now, she knew what had happened. He had followed her advice and sought out his family.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder if Harry Potter had ever once thought about the girl named Sarah Jones he had known and loved for just a short time while he had lived in Godric's Hollow.

* * *

**A/N - Catch something wrong with this fanfic, including typos, misspelled words, or a plot line that just doesn't make sense? Let me know, please.**

**I write fanfictions to better myself in my original story/novel writing. I strive for the best, but I admit to occasionally missing things. If you see anything that needs to be fixed, or you just have any advice or comments, let me know, in a review or PM. Also, I won't respond to every review, though I'll try with PMs. I just don't have the time. However, if you ask a question, I will try to respond with an answer. Thanks.**


End file.
